New Haven, Conn. (January 27, 2025) – The lives and careers of Black women who attended Yale from the 1910s through 1940 will be surveyed by Jennifer Coggins, Community Engagement Archivist for the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University, in a lunchtime webinar for the New Haven Museum (NHM). “Early Black Women Students at Yale,” will be presented on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at 12:30 p.m. Register here.
The free NH250 event will be recorded and available via New Haven Museum YouTube and social media. It will be the third lecture in the new NHM webinar series, “Voices of Legacy: Lunchtime Conversations on Early Black Women.”
Though Yale College did not become coeducational until 1969, the university’s graduate school and many of its professional schools accepted women much earlier. A significant number of Black women, many of them from New Haven, attended Yale in these early years. During her webinar, Coggins will discuss the lives and careers of Black women who attended Yale through 1940 and are featured in Beinecke Library’s anticipated online resource, “Shining Light on Truth: Early Black Students at Yale.”
Coggins notes that while some of the women she will highlight, such as Helen Hagan and Shirley Graham Du Bois, are better known, many of them have not been widely recognized. “Their stories offer insights into the history of New Haven and of higher education, and an opportunity to explore the impact they have had as leaders in their professional fields and communities,” she says.
Her goal, Coggins says, is for attendees to be inspired to learn more about these fascinating and accomplished women and their lives at Yale and in New Haven, and for the brief profiles she shares to spark further research.
About Jennifer Coggins
Coggins is the community engagement archivist for the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. In this role, she helps community members preserve personal, family, and organizational records; promotes engagement with archival collections and practices; and supports local history work. She is one of the coordinators of the recent New Haven Museum exhibition, “Shining Light on Truth: New Haven, Yale, and Slavery,” an effort to research and share the stories of early Black students at the university. She previously served as the archivist for collection development in manuscripts and archives at Yale and as collections management and engagement archivist in the University Archives at UNC Chapel Hill. She holds an M.S. in library science from UNC Chapel Hill and a B.A. in history from Wofford College.
About NH250
This event is part of NH250, an ongoing series of programming developed by New Haven Museum to complement “America 250.” Culminating with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the series will highlight inclusive, local, and lesser-known stories, connecting past and present.
About the New Haven Museum
The New Haven Museum has been collecting, preserving and interpreting the history and heritage of Greater New Haven since its inception as the New Haven Colony Historical Society in 1862. Located in downtown New Haven at 114 Whitney Avenue, the Museum brings more than 375 years of New Haven history to life through its collections, exhibitions, programs and outreach. As a Blue Star Museum, the New Haven Museum offers the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve, free admission all year. For more information visit http://newhavenmuseum.org or @NewHavenMuseum or call 203-562-4183.
Helen Hagan – Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University
Early Black Women Students at Yale: Lunchtime Webinar at New Haven Museum
New Haven, Conn. (January 27, 2025) – The lives and careers of Black women who attended Yale from the 1910s through 1940 will be surveyed by Jennifer Coggins, Community Engagement Archivist for the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University, in a lunchtime webinar for the New Haven Museum (NHM). “Early Black Women Students at Yale,” will be presented on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at 12:30 p.m. Register here.
The free NH250 event will be recorded and available via New Haven Museum YouTube and social media. It will be the third lecture in the new NHM webinar series, “Voices of Legacy: Lunchtime Conversations on Early Black Women.”
Though Yale College did not become coeducational until 1969, the university’s graduate school and many of its professional schools accepted women much earlier. A significant number of Black women, many of them from New Haven, attended Yale in these early years. During her webinar, Coggins will discuss the lives and careers of Black women who attended Yale through 1940 and are featured in Beinecke Library’s anticipated online resource, “Shining Light on Truth: Early Black Students at Yale.”
Coggins notes that while some of the women she will highlight, such as Helen Hagan and Shirley Graham Du Bois, are better known, many of them have not been widely recognized. “Their stories offer insights into the history of New Haven and of higher education, and an opportunity to explore the impact they have had as leaders in their professional fields and communities,” she says.
Her goal, Coggins says, is for attendees to be inspired to learn more about these fascinating and accomplished women and their lives at Yale and in New Haven, and for the brief profiles she shares to spark further research.
About Jennifer Coggins
Coggins is the community engagement archivist for the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. In this role, she helps community members preserve personal, family, and organizational records; promotes engagement with archival collections and practices; and supports local history work. She is one of the coordinators of the recent New Haven Museum exhibition, “Shining Light on Truth: New Haven, Yale, and Slavery,” an effort to research and share the stories of early Black students at the university. She previously served as the archivist for collection development in manuscripts and archives at Yale and as collections management and engagement archivist in the University Archives at UNC Chapel Hill. She holds an M.S. in library science from UNC Chapel Hill and a B.A. in history from Wofford College.
About NH250
This event is part of NH250, an ongoing series of programming developed by New Haven Museum to complement “America 250.” Culminating with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the series will highlight inclusive, local, and lesser-known stories, connecting past and present.
About the New Haven Museum
The New Haven Museum has been collecting, preserving and interpreting the history and heritage of Greater New Haven since its inception as the New Haven Colony Historical Society in 1862. Located in downtown New Haven at 114 Whitney Avenue, the Museum brings more than 375 years of New Haven history to life through its collections, exhibitions, programs and outreach. As a Blue Star Museum, the New Haven Museum offers the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve, free admission all year. For more information visit http://newhavenmuseum.org or @NewHavenMuseum or call 203-562-4183.