The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is a New York Public Library research library with a Black Arts focus. It was founded on the personal Black Arts collection that Puerto Rican scholar Arturo Alfonso Schomburg built during the Harlem Renaissance. 🇵🇷
2024-2025 Season
Visibility and Resistance is an Exhibition of Afro-Mexican Photography That Examines Multicultural Identity Between Candelaria and Guadalupe
SCHOMBURG CENTER, Harlem, Manhattan 🇲🇽 🇸🇳
Black Comic Book Festival Brings Creatives and Blerds Together with a Fun Cosplay Showcase
SCHOMBURG CENTER FOR RESEARCH IN BLACK CULTURE, Harlem, Manhattan 🇺🇸
Arturo Schomburg was a Puerto Rican Harlem Renaissance Man
SANTURCE, San Juan, Puerto Rico 🇵🇷
Crusader: Martin Luther King Jr. Photo Exhibition
SCHOMBURG CENTER, Harlem, Manhattan 🇺🇸
Schomburg Center Events
JUNE
African American Literary Festival
The Schomburg Center Literary Festival features book talks and workshops, a local marketplace, mobile library, Black Zine Fair, and entertainment for all ages; at the Schomburg Center in Harlem, Manhattan; on Saturday, June 15, 2024, from 11am to 6pm. FREE. schomburgcenterlitfest.org 🇺🇸
Donovan X. Ramsey delivers the keynote on the Art of Black Storytelling. Featured writers include:
- Diane Richardson is Executive Director of the Harlem Writers Guild. theharlemwritersguild.org
- Elizabeth Acevedo, the Dominican best-selling, National Book Award-winning author. acevedowrites.com 🇩🇴
- B. Michael is a CFDA fashion designer and author who is very conscious of our responsibilities to the next generation. @bmichaelamerica
- Jonell Joshua a Brooklyn writer/illusrator. jonelljoshua.com @jonell.joshua
- The Moth is a storytelling collective. themoth.org
APRIL
African American Comic Book Festival
The 12th Black Comic Book Festival 2024, the SchomCom, is at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, Manhattan; on Friday-Saturday, April 26-27, 2024, from 10am – 7pm. The Cosplay Showcase is Saturday from 1-5pm. FREE with rsvp. schomcom.org 🇺🇸
About Arturo Schomburg
Arturo Schomburg was born in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1874. A grade school teacher told him that Black people have no history, heroes or accomplishments. That ignorant nonsense from another era inspired the young man to prove his teacher wrong. He became a commercial printer and began to study Black literature.
Schomburg moved to New York in 1891, continued his research, and began collecting and writing. He joined some of the first scholarly organizations for people of color. Schomburg became one of the scholars of the Harlem Renaissance (1918 to mid-1930s).
The New York Public Library purchased the Schomburg collection in 1926, made him its founding curator and renamed the 135th St Branch Library after him. He died in 1938 and is buried at Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn.
Not many people get libraries named after them, and certainly no uncultured ones. Mr. Schomburg proved that old teacher wrong. Some people say mean things just to make you upset so you can’t progress. Instead of doing your thing, you start spinning in an identity crisis. It’s the colonizer’s game, but don’t play it. Go to the library and develop yourself.
Today we all follow in the footsteps of people like Mr. Schomburg who refused to be put down and held back. He is a great Puerto Rican, a great African American, a great New Yorker, but really just a great American, an inspiration for all generations.
You are a collector like Mr. Schomburg.”
Schomburg Center publicist describing New York Latin Culture Magazine Editor, Keith Widyolar
[Editor Keith: Thank you! I didn’t start out looking for Black Culture, but my search for the roots of Latin culture led me into it. Most of the roots of both Latin culture and American culture of the United States are in the African Diaspora. We just weren’t taught that in school. Black culture is also the most fun, because it’s all about community. I’m a success today because my mother taught me to love reading in the library, and my father taught me to respect everyone.]
Programs
Women’s Jazz Festival is usually in March
Black Comic Book Festival is usually in April. schomcom.org
Schomburg Center Literary Festival is usually in June. Remember the saying from the old days when African Americans were not allowed to read. “Each One, Teach One.” schomburgcenterlitfest.org
The Schomburg Center Open House is usually in November.
Schomburg Center Tickets
Many events are free and open to the public.
Schomburg Center
515 Malcolm X Blvd (Lenox Ave/Sixth Ave)
(between 135th and 136th St)
Harlem, Manhattan
Subways
(2)(3) to 135th St