Black History Month

About The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

The flurry of activity by artists and scholars known as the Harlem Renaissance gave impetus to at least two significant cultural events in 1925. The first significant examination of contemporary culture, The New Negro: An Interpretation, was published; its editor, Alain Locke, wrote that "Whoever wishes to see the Negro in his essential traits, in the full perspective of his achievement and possibilities, must seek the enlightenment of that self-portraiture which the present developments of Negro culture are offering." The other event was the opening of the Division of Negro Literature, History, and Prints in the 135th Street branch of the New York Public Library. A repository for material on black life that documented past achievements and served as a foundation for the solicitation of future contributions, this special library was the forerunner of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, which stands today as one of the world's foremost facilities dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of black cultural artifacts.

From its inception, the Schomburg Center has served both as a repository and as a center for black intellectual and artistic activities. Its location in Harlem has given added significance to those roles, for by the early 1920's Harlem had become the "black capital," home to an amalgam of blacks from various parts of the United States, the Caribbean, and Africa. Economic expansion, especially during World War I, increased opportunities for black home ownership; simultaneously, literacy and race consciousness were expanding within the black community. Political consciousness and race pride were heightened by the activities of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Urban League, and the preachments of Marcus Garvey. More outlets for literature were becoming available through black newspapers and magazines such as the Crisis, edited by W. E. B. DuBois of the NAACP; and the Urban League's Opportunity, edited by Charles Johnson. Critic Sterling Brown, writing about poets from 1914 to 1936, also captured the concerns of other black literary figures when he noted their five major concerns were "(1) a discovery of Africa as a source of race pride, (2) a use of Negro heroes and heroic episodes from American history, (3) propaganda of protest, (4) a treatment of the Negro masses with more understanding and less apology, and (5) franker and deeper self revelation." Black writing during the period sprang from social concerns as well as literary interests; and early anthologies of black writings covered a broad spectrum ranging from poetry to prose to social and political criticism.

Meeting the Community's Needs

As Harlem became the focal point for black artistic and intellectual activities, the 135th Street branch library took on a new dimension. The New York Public Library had opened the branch in 1905 in a neighborhood that was predominantly Jewish. Within fifteen years it was half black. Ernestine Rose, who had developed services in other ethnic neighborhoods, was assigned to adapt the library's resources to meet the needs of the changing community. In 1921 the branch began to sponsor annual art exhibitions, which were planned by committees including cultural leaders such as W. E. B. DuBois, James Weldon Johnson, and Arthur Schomburg. It also sponsored lectures and book discussions. By 1924, however, the library was facing a serious dilemma. The community's heightened interest in materials by and about black people had begun to strain its limited resources. To meet this challenge Ernestine Rose called a community meeting in December 1924, during which a citizen's committee was created, which elected Schomburg, Johnson, Hubert H. Harrison, and John Nail as officers. The group recommended that the rarest books be set aside as a Negro reference library. Gifts and loans for the special collection came from the private libraries of noted black collectors, including John Bruce, Louise Latimer, Harrison, George Young, Charles D. Martin, and Schomburg.

A Collection of International Stature is Born

At the formal opening of the Division of Negro Literature, History, and Prints on May 8, 1925, Rose noted the existence of similar collections in the Library of Congress, in the libraries of institutions such as Tuskegee Institute and Howard University, in certain large city reference libraries, and in a few private libraries. She predicted, however, that the collection at the 135th Street library would become one of the largest and most valuable in the world because of its location in Harlem, "the greatest negro city in the world," and because it would make materials "available equally to scholar, to the man in the street, and to school children of all races." As a result of the publicity surrounding the opening of the Negro division and the efforts of Charles S. Johnson, L. Hollingsworth Wood, and Eugene Knickle Jones of the Urban League, the Carnegie Corporation provided a grant of ten thousand dollars for the New York Public Library to purchase Schomburg's personal collection. This acquisition brought the division immediate international stature.

Schomburg continued to augment the collection and also served as an unpaid consultant to the library, addressing staff meetings and assisting young scholars. A second Carnegie grant in 1932 made it possible for him to be hired as curator of the Negro division, a position he held until his death in 1938. In 1940 the library was renamed the Schomburg Collection of Negro Literature, History, and Prints in his honor.

From Students to the Supreme Court: The Resource for Everyone

The 1940s were a time of increasing use for the collection. In 1942 the collection moved into the entire top floor of the new 135th Street branch library building. The American Negro Theater staged productions in the basement auditorium, serving as training ground for performers such as Frederick O'Neal, Hilda Simms, Hilda Haynes, Rosetta LeNoire, Earle Hyman, Sidney Poiter, and Harry Belafonte, and for playwrights such as Alice Childress and Abram Hill. The collection was a primary resource for writers such as Richard Wright and Langston Hughes. Discussions drew the participation of African and Caribbean visitors to the United States who were involved in struggles for self-government, such as Ja Ja Wackuku, former ambassador from Nigeria; George Westermann, former ambassador from Panama; and Kwame Nkrumah, who became the first president of Ghana. The collection was the center for black scholars involved in WPA projects; and later, during the 1950s, provided resources for research done for Kenneth Clark's report on the effect of segregated education on black and white children, which was cited in the U.S. Supreme Court's historic Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954.

Keeping the Promise

From 1948 through the 1970s the collection continued to expand under the guidance of Jean Blackwell Hutson. By 1966, however, it was in serious jeopardy. Materials were deteriorating from overuse by readers, air pollution, and unsatisfactory climatic conditions. Although the collection had been moved back into the entire space in the 135th Street building in 1954, it was overcrowded. Hutson launched a successful campaign to rally support within the New York Public Library and in the black community. In a reorganization the Schomburg Collection was designated as part of the research libraries of the New York Public Library in 1972, and its name was changed to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Looking Towards the Future

Today, the Schomburg Center is looking toward the twenty-first century as it expands its services, facilities, and technology to meet the contemporary needs of writers, scholars, artists, and others who are studying and making contributions to black culture. In the tradition established by Schomburg, the center continues to be a repository for materials documenting black life and a participation in the evolution of black culture. The Schomburg Center now comprises more than five million books, microforms, black newspapers and current periodicals from around the world.