As part of the Black Presence Initiative, Dr. John Bracey—professor in the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies—and his students have conducted oral history interviews with past and present members of UMass Amherst's Black community. Over the past two years, Bracey and his team conducted dozens of interviews with alumni, students, staff, and faculty.

The result is an ever-growing website featuring voices, stories, and experiences of members of the Black community at UMass.