Blog Posts by Subject: African diaspora

We invite readers to engage with these books which recognize and celebrate the histories of Black folks who were able to thrive in spite of the conditions that surrounded them.

We've created a LibGuide as a starting point for conducting research on Black authors, activists, filmmakers and performers who identify as part of the LGBTQ community.

For Black History Month, introduce your kids to black figures who have deeply influenced modern-day American culture. Check our 2019 list of kids' biographies and look for the hashtag #NYPL4TheCulture on social media!

This post is the first in the "Joy Out of Fire" series on expressions of femininity reclaimed by 20th century Black women entertainers inspired by "Firelei Baez: Joy Out of Fire" currently on display in the Latimer/Edison Gallery at the Schomburg Center.

Learn more about Nelson Mandela’s life and legacy through items in the Schomburg's Collections.

In the spirit of October being Archives Month, I have asked four Archivists from the Schomburg Center Research of Black Culture questions about their specializations. Join us on Twitter, @SchomburgMARB, on Wednesday October 5 from 11 AM to 2 PM to ask us any questions about our collections, best archival practices, and the archival profession.

West Indian immigrants form the largest Black immigrant group in the city and most likely nationwide, though they represent individually small nations. This weekend the collective will come together to throw the biggest party in our city.

Jesús Ruiz, Ph.D Candidate at Tulane University and Short-Term Research Fellow at the Schomburg Center, writes about his first ever visit to the Schomburg Center's Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books Division, and his elation over discovering rare gems in our collections.

Kiani Ned, Schomburg Center Communications Intern, writes about the importance of libraries and talks to librarian Michael Perry about the best research practices.

To centralize the experiences and creative worlds of black people in portraits, paintings, literature, and poetry is to engage in black aesthetics. Black aesthetics extend, too, to fashion and personal style.

BAM had its roots in the northeastern United States, but spread quickly to the south and the west coast with the transnational movements and communal exchange of artists like Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Askia Touré, and Ntozake Shange. Literary groups such as Umbra Workshop of Manhattan and

On July 14 The Black Iris Project will perform Madiba—a dance piece based on the life and legacy of humanitarian and anti-apartheid activist, Nelson “Madiba” Mandela. The performance is set to an original score by black classical composer Carman Moore.

As a young boy in Puerto Rico, Schomburg was told that black people lacked culture or history. This was a comment that he would never forget. It contributed to Schomburg’s decision to devote his life to sourcing and collecting black history.

Live from the Reading Room: Correspondence is a podcast series that aims to share interesting and engaging letters written by or to key historical figures from the African Diaspora.

Live from the Reading Room: Correspondence is a podcast series that aims to share interesting and engaging letters written by or to key historical figures from the African Diaspora.

Today’s episode features a letter from journalist and essayist Josephine Schuyler, to her daughter, pianist, composer, journalist, and child prodigy Philippa Duke Schuyler.

Today’s episode features a letter from writer, anthropologist, and folklorist, Zora Neale Hurston to her friend, “Bill.”

Today’s episode features a letter from Jamaican-American Harlem renaissance era poet and writer Claude McKay to NAACP leader and civil rights activist, Walter White.

Today’s episode features a love letter from Trinidadian social theorist, historian and political activist C.L.R. James (1901-1989) to his wife and confidant the actress, model, writer and activist Constance Webb (1918-2005).