The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is marking its 100th anniversary at a time when concerns are growing about political efforts to defund government programs that preserve history, confront historical injustices, and promote visibility for Black Americans and other marginalized communities.
Part of the New York Public Library system, the Schomburg Center will celebrate its centennial with a new exhibition titled “A Century of Collections, Community, and Creativity.” The exhibition will highlight the center’s rich history through a curated display of books and photographs gathered over the past century. As part of the celebration, the center will also host book giveaways featuring the children’s picture book Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library. In addition, a special edition New York Public Library card has been released for residents of New York State to commemorate the occasion.
Supporters of the Schomburg Center have emphasized the importance of continued support, especially in light of efforts by the Trump administration to cut funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which provides financial support to libraries across the country. LeVar Burton, actor, literacy advocate, and former host of Reading Rainbow, stated that too few Black institutions survive to see a centennial milestone. He described the anniversary as a remarkable achievement and urged renewed efforts to protect Black culture and ensure that future generations have access to historical truths.
Tony Award-winning actress Kara Young, a Harlem native, echoed Burton’s message. She called the Schomburg Center “home” and described the act of preserving history as both a responsibility and a form of love and resistance.
The Schomburg Center is located inside the New York Public Library’s 135th Street branch in Harlem. It was originally founded in 1925 as the Division of Negro Literature, History and Prints, during the Harlem Renaissance, a period when Black writers, artists, and intellectuals reshaped Black American culture. Arturo Schomburg, a writer and historian, amassed a vast collection of books, manuscripts, artworks, and artifacts documenting the global African experience. In 1926, he sold more than 10,000 items to the New York Public Library. The center was renamed in his honor in 1972.
