African-American Research Library and Cultural Center facts for kids
Quick facts for kids African-American Research Library and Cultural Center |
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| African-American Research Library and Cultural Center | |
| Country | United States |
| Established | October 26, 2002 |
| Location | Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
| Coordinates | 26°07′45″N 80°10′33″W / 26.129045955644468°N 80.17575790270564°W |
| Branch of | Broward County Library |
The African-American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC) is a special library in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It's part of the Broward County Library system. This amazing center opened its doors on October 26, 2002.
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About the Library Building
This library is huge! It's about 60,000 square feet. Inside, you'll find a large auditorium that seats 300 people. There's also a big art gallery, perfect for showing off cool artworks. Plus, it has a special center to help small businesses.
Since it opened, the AARLCC has hosted over 38 major art shows. It has welcomed more than 895,000 visitors. This library is the sixth-largest in Broward County. It's also one of only three such research libraries in the entire United States.
How the Library Started
The idea for this special library came from Samuel F. Morrison. He was the director of the Broward County Libraries. He visited another library, the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History. This visit inspired him.
At that time, there were only two major research libraries focusing on African-American culture. These were the Auburn Avenue library and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City. Mr. Morrison really wanted to build a similar library. He was determined to build it in an African-American area. He wanted to use county money to make it happen.
Getting the Money
Between 1990 and 1995, Mr. Morrison talked a lot with county leaders. He worked hard to get the library built. Money had already been saved for a smaller library. This was to replace the Von D. Mizell Branch Library.
The Broward County Commission gave the land for the new library. They also provided $5 million. But Mr. Morrison had a bigger dream. He wanted a much larger research facility. He needed an extra $7 million to make his vision a reality.
Most of the extra money came from fundraising. The National Endowment for the Humanities gave a big grant of $600,000. Other groups and people matched this money. These included the Sun-Sentinel newspaper and Blockbuster Entertainment Group. Dianne and Michael Bienes also helped.
The Links donated $50,000. Publix Charities gave $250,000. A businessman named Wayne Huizenga donated a huge $1 million. Many churches, clubs, and other groups also helped raise funds.
Building the Library
The official groundbreaking ceremony happened on October 23, 1999. After more fundraising, construction began in April 2001. PAWA Complex International designed the building. This was the largest African-American-owned architecture company in Florida.
Cecil Hayes designed the inside of the building. She was the first African American on the Architectural Digest top 100 list. Gary Moore was the artistic designer. Mr. Morrison shared that over half of the construction jobs went to African-American companies. The AARLCC was finished and opened to the public on October 26, 2002.
Special Collections
The African American Research Library has over one million items in its special collections. These include rare books, old artifacts, beautiful artwork, and important papers. They all focus on the history and culture of people from African, African-American, and Caribbean backgrounds.
You can even see some of these items in 3D! Twenty African artifacts from the library's collection are available using Augmented reality (AR). This is part of the Virtual AARLCC project. It helps more people see the library's unique items.
Here are some of the amazing collections:
- Alex Haley Collection – This collection has works by Alex Haley, who wrote "Roots." It includes photos from the Roots TV show. There are also photos of West Africa and eight unfinished books by Haley. Some parts of this collection are online.
- Daniel Johnson Collection – This collection has over 5,000 items. They cover African-American, Caribbean, and African books and papers. Topics include slavery, civil rights, sports, and art. Famous authors like Maya Angelou are featured here.
- Dorothy Porter Wesley Collection – This collection has items about art, history, and women's studies. All items are related to Africans in the United States.
- Sixto Compano Collection – This collection has 1,000 pieces of sheet music. They date from the mid-1800s to World War II. They show the history of African-Americans in theater.
- Kitty Oliver Oral Histories – This collection has written stories, photos, and videos. They come from over 100 interviews. People talk about race relations in Broward and Palm Beach Counties during the 1960s and 1970s. Some parts are available online.
- Hewitt Haitian Art Collection – This is one of the largest collections at the AARLCC. It has many pieces of Haitian art. It's known as one of the most important collections of Haitian art in the country.
- Coretta Scott King Award and Honor Book Collection — These books are by African-American authors and illustrators. They show positive stories about the Black experience for kids and teens. These books have won or been honored by the Coretta Scott King Award.
Exhibits and the Ashley Bryan Project
In 2012, the AARLCC celebrated 10 years of the Ashley Bryan Art series. Dr. Henrietta M. Smith, a professor, worked with Ashley Bryan to start this series. It features art from children's book authors and illustrators.
The series began with Ashley Bryan giving eight original art pieces to the library. This became the start of the art collection. The series brought Coretta Scott King Award-winning authors and illustrators to the library. Their work showed African culture. This art series has had a lasting impact on the community. It brings children and families to the library. It also helps young people connect with children’s book art.
The Ashley Bryan Project started in spring 2021. It's called "A Resource of Exceptional Children's Books and Book Art by Authors / Illustrators of African Descent." This project helps students, scholars, parents, and art lovers. It gives useful information about great children's books.
The project comes from the work of author and illustrator Ashley Bryan and Dr. Henrietta Smith. It was funded by a grant. This grant helps create reading lists and other library resources. Some of the amazing authors and illustrators in this project include Kadir Nelson and Javaka Steptoe. The project guide includes reading lists, digital images of art, and information on careers in the arts. It also helps people learn how to become published authors or illustrators.
