Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Schomburg Centerfor Research in Black Culture |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
.jpg) |
|
| Country | United States |
| Type | Research library |
| Established | 1905 (as the 135th Street Branch) 1925 (as the Division of Negro Literature, History and Prints) |
| Collection | |
| Items collected | poems by Phillis Wheatley, papers of Ralph Bunche, Malcolm X, and Hiram Rhodes Revels |
| Size | 10 million |
| Other information | |
| Director | Joy L. Bivins |
| Website | Official website: http://www.nypl.org/locations/schomburg |
.jpg)
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is a special library that is part of the New York Public Library (NYPL). It collects and keeps information about people of African descent from all over the world. Think of it like a huge treasure chest of history, art, and stories!
The center is located in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It's been an important part of the Harlem community almost since it started. The center is named after Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, who was a scholar from Puerto Rico with African roots.
The Schomburg Center has five main parts, each focusing on different types of materials:
- The Art and Artifacts Division
- The Jean Blackwell Hutson General Research and Reference Division (for general questions and research)
- The Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division (for old, unique documents)
- The Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division (for videos and audio)
- The Photographs and Prints Division (for pictures and artworks)
Besides helping people do research, the center also holds many fun events. These include readings by authors, interesting discussions, art shows, and even plays. Everyone is welcome to visit!
Early History of the Center
The 135th Street Branch Library
In 1901, a wealthy man named Andrew Carnegie offered to give $5.2 million to build 65 new libraries in New York City. The city had to provide the land and take care of the buildings. Later that year, Carnegie officially signed a deal with the city.
The architects McKim, Mead & White were chosen to design the buildings. Charles Follen McKim designed the three-story library at 103 West 135th Street. It looked like an Italian Renaissance palace. When it opened on July 14, 1905, the library had 10,000 books. Gertrude Cohen was the first librarian in charge.
Ernestine Rose's Time (1920–1942)
In 1920, Ernestine Rose became the head librarian. She quickly hired African-American librarians to work there. Catherine Allen Latimer was the first African-American librarian hired by the NYPL. She and Roberta Bosely worked with Rose. Later, Sadie Peterson Delaney also joined the team. Together, they made plans to help people in the community read more. They also worked with local schools and groups.
In 1921, the library held the first art show in Harlem featuring African-American artists. This became an annual event. The library quickly became a key place for the Harlem Renaissance. This was a time when African-American art, music, and literature flourished. By 1923, the 135th Street branch was the only library in New York City that hired Black librarians. So, when Regina M. Anderson was hired by the NYPL, she was sent to work there.
In 1923, Rose reported that more and more people were asking for books about Black people or written by Black authors. She also noted a growing need for trained Black librarians. In late 1924, Rose held a meeting with important people like Arturo Alfonso Schomburg and James Weldon Johnson. They decided to focus on saving rare books and asking for donations to grow their collection of African-American materials.
On May 8, 1925, the library section became the Division of Negro Literature, History and Prints. In 1926, Arturo Schomburg wanted to sell his personal collection of African-American literature. He wanted it to be available to everyone, and he wanted it to stay in Harlem. Rose and the National Urban League convinced the Carnegie Foundation to buy his collection for $10,000 and donate it to the library. Schomburg's collection added about 5,000 items. By donating his collection, Schomburg wanted to show that Black people had a rich history and culture.
In 1929, Regina Anderson wanted a promotion but felt she was being treated unfairly. She got help from famous leaders like W. E. B. Du Bois and Walter Francis White. After they wrote letters and White organized a boycott, Anderson was promoted and moved to another library branch.
By 1930, the center had 18,000 books. In 1932, Schomburg became the first curator of his own collection. He worked there until he passed away in 1938. In 1935, the Center started a program to deliver books once a week to people who couldn't come to the library. Dr. Lawrence D. Reddick became the second curator. In October 1940, the entire collection was renamed the Schomburg Collection of Negro History and Literature.
In 1942, Ernestine Rose retired. An addition was built onto the back of the building. By then, the library had 40,000 books. Dorothy Robinson Homer took over as Branch Librarian. The community specifically asked for a Black person to replace Rose.
The Countee Cullen Branch
After the addition was built, the library became known as the Countee Cullen Library branch. The original 135th Street building is still part of it, but the name "Countee Cullen" now mainly refers to the newer part on West 136th Street.
Dorothy Homer created a special room just for young adults. She also started the American Negro Theatre in the basement. This theater produced the famous play Anna Lucasta, which later moved to Broadway. Homer continued to focus on making the library a community hub for art, music, and drama. She held art shows that featured young, unknown artists of all backgrounds.
During World War II, Homer started monthly music concerts in the auditorium to boost community spirit. These concerts became so popular that they continued even after the war.
Jean Blackwell Hutson's Leadership (1948–1980)
In 1948, Jean Blackwell Hutson became the director of the center. In a speech in 1966, Hutson warned that the Schomburg collection was in danger and needed more support.
In 1971, a private group called the Schomburg Corporation began supporting the center. The next year, New York City provided money to fix up the building at 103 West 135th Street. It was renamed the Schomburg Collection for Research in Black Culture. At the same time, all parts of the Schomburg collection from other libraries were brought together at the center. In 1972, it became one of the NYPL's main research libraries.
In 1973, a new building was planned for the center. The location was chosen because it was near other community groups and was important to the Harlem Renaissance. In 1978, the original 135th Street building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's recognized as an important historical site.
The Modern Schomburg Center
In 1980, a new Schomburg Center building opened at 515 Lenox Avenue. In 1981, the original building on West 135th Street was named a New York City landmark. In 2016, both the original and new buildings, which are now connected, were named a National Historic Landmark.
The Roger Furman Theatre is also located inside the building.
Wendell L. Wray's Time (1981–1983)
In 1981, Wendell L. Wray became the director. There were some protests when he hired a non-African-American person to lead a special division. In 1983, Wray left his position, and Catherine Hooker became the acting director.
Howard Dodson's Leadership (1984–2011)
Howard Dodson became the director in 1984. At that time, the Schomburg was mostly a cultural center for tourists and schoolchildren. Its research parts were mainly known only to scholars. In 1984, the Schomburg's collection had 5 million items. About 40,000 people visited each year.
By 1984, the Schomburg was known as the most important place in the world for collections of art and literature about people from Africa or the African diaspora (people of African descent living outside Africa). In 1983, a program for visiting scholars started at the center. In 1987, a public fundraising campaign began to raise money to fix up the old library and improve the new center.
In 1991, more additions were completed at the Schomburg Center. The new center on Malcolm X Boulevard was expanded to include an auditorium. It also got a connection to the old landmark building on 135th Street. The Art and Artifacts Division and the Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division moved into the old building.
In 2000, the Schomburg Center held an exhibit called "Lest We Forget: The Triumph Over Slavery." This exhibit later traveled around the world for more than ten years. In 2005, the center showed letters, photos, and other items related to Malcolm X. In 2007, the building was renovated and expanded in an $11 million project. The Schomburg Center had 120,000 visitors a year. In 2010, Dodson announced he would retire.
In 2007, the Schomburg Center also helped sponsor the African Burial Ground National Monument.
Khalil Gibran Muhammad's Time (2011–2016)
After Howard Dodson retired, Khalil Gibran Muhammad became the fifth director in the summer of 2011. He was a history professor and the great-grandson of Elijah Muhammad. His goals were to make the Schomburg a key place for young adults. He also wanted to work with the local community to celebrate its history. He aimed for the center to be a way to learn about the history of Black people worldwide. In July, the center started an exhibit about Malcolm X called Malcolm X: the Search for Truth.
Kevin Young's Leadership (2016–2020)
On August 1, 2016, the New York Public Library announced that poet and professor Kevin Young would become the new director. During Young's four years, the number of visitors grew by 40%, reaching 300,000 visitors each year. He helped raise over $10 million in grants and donations. He also helped the center get important new collections, like the papers of James Baldwin, Harry Belafonte, and the couple Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee.
Young left the Schomburg Center at the end of 2020. He took on a new role as director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The Collection
In 1998, the Schomburg Collection was seen as having the rarest and most useful items about African-centered history and culture of any public library in the United States. By late 2006, it was considered the most respected collection of African-American materials in the country.
As of 2010, the Collection had 10 million items! It includes a signed first edition of a book of poems by Phillis Wheatley. It also has important papers from people like Melville J. Herskovits, John Henrik Clarke, Lorraine Hansberry, Malcolm X, and Nat King Cole.
The collection also holds files and papers from many important organizations and individuals:
- The International Labor Defense
- The Civil Rights Congress
- The Symphony of the New World
- The National Negro Congress
- The files of the South African Dennis Brutus Defense Committee (these have some access restrictions)
- Papers of Lawrence Brown, Melva L. Price, Ralph Bunche, Léon Damas, William Pickens, Hiram Rhodes Revels, and Clarence Cameron White.
- Original writings by Alexander Crummell and John Edward Bruce.
- Documents about Slavery, the movement to end slavery (Abolitionism), and the West Indies.
- Letters and unpublished writings by Langston Hughes.
- Some papers from Christian Fleetwood, Paul Robeson (with some restrictions), Booker T. Washington, and Arturo Schomburg himself.
The collection also has musical recordings, magazines about Black culture and jazz, rare books and pamphlets, and tens of thousands of art objects. You can even find documents signed by Toussaint Louverture and a rare recording of a speech by Marcus Garvey!
The center also helps manage the literary works of the heirs of Claude McKay.
See also
