One of four research centers at The New York Public Library, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is recognized as the world’s leading archive documenting the global black experience. Located in the heart of Harlem, the Schomburg’s beginnings reach back 90 years to the Harlem Renaissance, when African-American and Caribbean artists and thinkers—including Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and W.E.B. Du Bois—transformed modern culture through contributions in literature, art, dance, music, and scholarship.
To celebrate the Schomburg’s 90th anniversary, we have assembled an array of treasures from its world-renowned collection of more than 10 million items. The first case honors its beginnings, including a letter by Ernestine Rose, who established the Library’s Division of Negro Literature, History and Prints in 1925, and an essay by Arturo Schomburg, whose private library formed the nucleus of the original collection. Rose and Schomburg believed deeply in the importance of black history, as did the famous mid-20th-century artist Romare Bearden, whose work is also on display.
The second case highlights the manuscripts of Richard Wright’s Native Son (1940), Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun (1959), and Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), as well as the private journals of Malcolm X. The stories and voices of these literary and political giants held up a mirror to American democracy and challenged the nation to make real its promises.
The last two cases survey the artistic vision and cultural production of black people since the 16th century—from Juan Latino’s 1573 book of Latin poetry to John Coltrane’s “Lover Man” musical score and a 1963 March on Washington hat. Together, these iconic treasures remind us that art, politics, culture, and society are inextricably linked.
This display will be open to the public at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10018, September 29-30 from 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
