SCHOMBURG CENTRE MARKS 100 YEARS OF BLACK HISTORY COLLECTION

The Schomburg Centre for Research in Black Culture, a New York Public Library research centre based in Harlem, is marking its centenary this year. The institution holds more than 11 million items documenting the history, culture and experiences of Black people globally. Its founding collection came from Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, a Puerto Rico-born New Yorker whose personal library of 4,600 pamphlets, artwork and books was purchased by the New York Public Library in 1926. Schomburg spent his life collecting materials that contradicted teachings he received as a child in Puerto Rico, where he was told by a teacher that Black people had no significant history or accomplishments.

Schomburg moved to New York at age 17 and became known as a pre-eminent historian and intellectual of the Harlem Renaissance. He wrote articles about Black history for periodicals including Negro World, using his collections to document the African diaspora across continents and languages. The centre's holdings include artwork by sculptor Augusta Savage from the Harlem Renaissance period and items such as author Maya Angelou's Smith Corona typewriter. Last month, staff handled an early handwritten manuscript of Angelou's autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, written on yellow paper.

According to Barrye Brown, curator of manuscripts, archives and rare books at the centre, Schomburg's vision encompassed global Black experience and remains central to the institution's work. The majority of the centre's curatorial and preservation staff are women of colour. Brown stated that continuing Schomburg's tradition of recognising value in materials others overlooked remains a priority during the centre's centennial year.