Schomburg Center Marks 100 Years Preserving Black History and Culture in Harlem

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, one of the nation’s largest repositories dedicated to Black history, is celebrating 100 years of preserving and promoting Black culture. Despite its vast collection, supporters believe its significance remains underappreciated, a gap the Center hopes to close with a special centennial festival on Saturday. This celebration combines two of its flagship events—the Black Comic Book Festival and the Schomburg Literary Festival—offering a full day of activities including readings, panel discussions, workshops, storytelling for children, cosplay, and a vendor marketplace. The event will span 135th Street in Manhattan, situated between Malcolm X and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevards.

Established in New York City during the Harlem Renaissance, the Schomburg Center will mark its centenary by showcasing a year-long exhibit featuring over 100 curated items from its extensive collection of Black literature, art, recordings, and films. The exhibit traces the history of the Center through its artifacts, the people who shaped it, and the vibrant Harlem community that has long been its home. Among the notable items is a visitor log from 1925 to 1940 bearing the signatures of Black literary icons like Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, as well as materials from the Fab 5 Freddy collection that document hip-hop’s early years.

Founded by Arturo Schomburg, an Afro-Latino historian born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, the Center originated from his passion for collecting materials on Afro-Latin and African American culture. Schomburg was motivated after a teacher dismissed Black history as lacking significant figures or achievements. Today, the Schomburg Center houses over 11 million items, including rare books, manuscripts, photographs, artifacts, art, films, and sound recordings. What began as a single reading room has expanded into three buildings featuring a small theater and auditorium used for public programs, performances, and film screenings, serving as an essential resource and cultural hub.