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Past Impact Stories

A woman wearing tan pants and a flower-patterned shirt stands on a set of black stairs surrounded by brown archival boxes on shelves.

Impact Story | June 25, 2026

Equal Footing

by Katie Vloet

Once a top athlete whose options were limited in the time before gender equity in sports, Alyce Sigler now volunteers at the Bentley, where a bit of serendipity has her researching Title IX.

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A man and woman lean against a table, each of them holding papers. The woman is on the left wearing a sweater and has brown hair, the man is on the right wearing a white shirt and has brown hair. A box of archival materials sits between them.

Impact Story | June 20, 2026

New Peikert Fellows Announced

by Lara Zielin

Berkley Sorrells and Jaxson Kaplan-Rudolph are the latest cohort of a student fellowship program that helps preserve and share University of Michigan athletics history.

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Several old letters and small envelopes arranged on an old wooden desk. The letters have cursive writing that is cramped and hard to read.

Impact Story | October 14, 2025

Campau Papers

by Lara Zielin

A rare and surprising cache of sixty new letters makes its way to the Bentley to supplement an existing collection.

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Impact Story | August 30, 2025

The Unsinkable Sarah E. Ray

by Lara Zielin

In 1945, Sarah Elizabeth Ray was denied passage on a steamboat on the Detroit River because she was Black. She fought the injustice, and today her trailblazing civil rights role is being preserved — including through a new collection.

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Impact Story | June 9, 2025

A Fuller Spectrum of Voices

by Lara Zielin

A new collection from the National Conference of Artists (NCA), Michigan Chapter showcases the organization's infrastructure and support for Black artists across the state of Michigan.

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A man and woman in the stacks of the Bentley Historical Library, surrounded by boxes on shelves. The man is on the left wearing a light-colored sweater, the woman is on the right wearing a dark top.

Impact Story | May 6, 2025

Good Sports

by Lara Zielin

Donor support has made possible a new fellowship program that helps preserve and share U-M athletics history. U-M students Lily Fritsch and Nathan Schreck are its first cohort.

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Impact Story | November 4, 2019

Researching the American Experience

by Katie Vloet

A gift from alumnus Tom Jones will fund undergraduate research and encourage engaged learning.

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