The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture's digital collections include manuscripts, maps, photographs, recorded conversations, digital exhibitions, and more.
 
Over 1,000 collections reside in NYPL's Digital Collections and over 300 recorded programs are located on the Center’s Livestream channel.

Can't decide which collections or talks to explore first?

Librarians from the Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division share their picks below.  

LIBERIA

Overview: These images are from a two-volume book Liberia by Harry Johnston. It was published in 1906 when Liberia was a relatively new colonized country. The online collection provides a fascinating visual look at the country during the time of its settling by free African Americans. The work includes, photographs, maps, and illustrations documenting the native population and the newly settled African Americans.

Why: “Liberia has had a volatile history, and this early documentation of the country is an intriguing insight into its early history,” said Rhonda Evans, JBH’s assistant chief librarian. “Of specific interest to me is the color shield, with the ship traveling from the shores of America and the motto, ‘The Love of Liberty Brought Us Here'. This image was prominent on some of the first postage stamps issued by Liberia.”
 

PROGRESS AND ACHIVEMENTS OF THE COLORED PEOPLE

Overview: Published in 1917 during the Great Migration and on the cusp of the Harlem Renaissance, Kelly Miller and Joseph R. Gay’s book Progress and Achievements of the Colored People: Containing the Story of the Wonderful Advancements of the Colored Americans highlights the lives and achievements of African Americans during this significant era in African American history in an effort to promote empowerment of individuals and communities.

Why: “One of the interesting aspects of this work are its photographs and illustrations which highlight contributions by African Americans in the areas of business, education, the arts, sports, and medicine,” said Tracy Crawford, a librarian at JBH.  

“This particular photograph, Belles of the Ball; Basketball Team, Normal School No. 2, Washington, D.C., is one of many highlighting the lives and contributions of women. Some of the women associated with the school, which later became Miner Teachers College and is now the University of the District of Columbia, include renowned artist and teacher, Alma Thomas; Ruby Hurley, an influential NAACP administrator; Charlotte E. Ray, the first Black American female lawyer in the United States; and Nellie May Quander, an incorporator and the first international president of the sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc.

THE PROGRESSION OF THE RACE IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA

Overview: This collection contains powerful images scanned from the bookThe Progression Of The Race In The United States and Canada: Treating Of The Great Advancement Of The Colored Race by Rev. Daniel D. Buck, which was published in 1907. It tells a portion of the story of people—the text was not scanned—who thrived despite the odds against them. They contributed to society in a number of ways, whether as a doctor, preacher, activist, or freedom fighter.

Why: “The '60s civil rights movement was several decades away, but the foundation for freedom was firmly established by those captured in this book,” said Auburn Nelson, a librarian at JBH. “I was particularly intrigued by the two images of L’Ouverture and Maceo—African descendants who fought for freedom in their respective countries.”

SKETCH BOOK OF LIVINGSTONE COLLEGE AND EAST TENNESSEE INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL, SALISBURY, N.C.

Overview: Sketch Book of Livingstone College and East Tennessee Industrial School, Salisbury, N.C. by Livingstone College was published in 1903 and is one of the books that was part of the seed library that Arturo Schomburg sold to The New York Public Library's 135th Street Library in 1926. It is also one of the many titles in the collection that documents the critical role that education played in the lives of African Americans at the dawn of the 20th century.  

Why: “Although the book can only be accessed at the Schomburg Center's Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division, the front cover and black and white photos from the book have been digitized,” said A.J. Muhammad, a librarian at JBH. “The photos give us a glimpse of students who attended during the 1902-1903 school year; pupils learning different skills; and images of the school's founder, leadership, faculty and buildings on the campus.”

To see more online materials from the Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division, visit NYPL’s Digital Collections.

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