Negro Society for Historical Research facts for kids
The Negro Society for Historical Research (NSHR) was an important group started in 1911. It was founded by John Edward Bruce and Arturo Alfonso Schomburg. This society worked to collect books and information about Black history and culture.
Contents
What Was the NSHR?
The NSHR was an organization that wanted to support the study of Black history and culture. It focused on people of African descent from Africa, the West Indies, and America. The group was based in Yonkers, New York.
How It Started
John Edward Bruce and Arthur Alfonso Schomburg first met through a group called the Masons. They started going to a Sunday Men's Club that met at Bruce's home. From these meetings, they decided to create the NSHR in 1911.
Their Important Goals
The NSHR's main goal was to teach Black people about their history. They wanted to inspire love and respect for important Black men and women. Schomburg believed it was important to have a collection of books written by Black authors. He felt that historians should share the stories of their ancestors.
Building a Special Library
Membership in the NSHR was limited to twenty active members. They began with a collection of 150 books. Members worked hard to gather books, pamphlets, and other writings by Black authors from all over the world. Meetings were held in members' homes and often featured well-known Black speakers.
Alain LeRoy Locke spoke at their first yearly meeting. He became a special member of the society. The NSHR even helped pay for his trip to Egypt in 1924. The society shared many members and goals with other groups. These included the American Negro Academy and the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League.
The society's collection became a lending library. It operated out of Schomburg's apartment. Anyone interested in Black history could borrow books from it.
What Happened Next?
When the NSHR eventually closed, its amazing collection of books and documents found a new home. It became the start of the Schomburg Collection of Negro Literature and Art at the NYPL. Today, this collection is known as the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. It is a very important place for studying Black history.
See also
