The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is commemorating its centennial anniversary with the exhibit 100: A Century of Collections, Community, and Creativity. This celebration highlights the center's dedication to preserving and showcasing the rich history and culture of the African diaspora. Since its founding, the Schomburg has amassed over 11 million items that detail the experiences of Black Americans.
Arturo Alfonso Schomburg: A Legacy of Black History
Born in Puerto Rico, Arturo Alfonso Schomburg faced the discouragement of his teacher, who claimed that Black people had no significant history. Determined to prove this narrative wrong, Schomburg dedicated his life to collecting art, literature, and artifacts that celebrated Black achievements. He moved to New York at the age of 17, utilizing his collections to write articles for periodicals like Negro World.
As a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, Schomburg became a celebrated historian and intellectual. According to Barrye Brown, curator of manuscripts and archives at the Schomburg, “Schomburg always sought to collect the global Black experience.” His vision encompassed a wide range of multilingual materials, representing diverse experiences across the globe.
Celebrating 100 Years of Contributions
This year marks not only the 250th anniversary of the United States but also the 100th anniversary of the Schomburg Center. In 1926, the New York Public Library acquired Schomburg's personal library, which included 4,600 pamphlets, artworks, and books. As Harlem's population became predominantly Black in the 1920s, the demand for materials about Black culture surged.
Today, the Schomburg is staffed mainly by women of color, continuing Schomburg's legacy of collecting and preserving Black history. Brown remarked, “As the current curator, seeing value where others did not, I’m very proud to continue that tradition today during our centennial.”
Notable Artifacts and Collections
The Schomburg Center houses significant materials, including works by Augusta Savage, a renowned sculptor of the Harlem Renaissance, and Maya Angelou’s original typewriter. Recently, Kassidi Jones, assistant curator, handled an early manuscript of Angelou’s autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Jones noted, “Everything was so meticulously thought through, it was ruminated over, it was passed over again and again until it sounded exactly the way that she wanted.”
In addition to Angelou’s collection of over 840 boxes of manuscripts, the Schomburg also features Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs, which provides a critical perspective on the experiences of Black women during slavery. Brown stated, “This is really the first time that you see a glimpse into what enslavement is like for a Black woman.”
- Over 11 million items in the collection
- More than 840 boxes of Maya Angelou’s manuscripts
- Acquisition of Schomburg's library in 1926
- Exhibit Declaring America featuring Schomburg items until January 10, 2027
As the Schomburg Center celebrates its storied past, it continues to contribute to the understanding of American history, emphasizing that “you can’t really understand US history fully without understanding Black history,” as stated by Joy Bivins, the center's director.
🤖 This article was rewritten by Feed and Figures' editorial AI from a report originally published by Guardian Culture. Facts and quotes are preserved from the original; the rewrite focuses on clarity and structure. For the unedited original, see the source link below.
