IN PERSON

The Division of Negro Literature, History and Prints—the forerunner to today’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture—opened on May 8, 1925 as a special collection of the 135th Street Branch Library. Join us on May 8, 2025 as we celebrate the centenary of the Schomburg Center. During this launch, visitors are invited to an open house of our archival divisions, important dialogues contextualizing the center’s development and evolution, and close with a public celebration marking its historic past and vital future. Get there early to enjoy tours of 100: A Century of Collections, Community, and Creativity, an exhibition exploring the library’s history through the prism of place, people, and material Bivins.

And more!

EXHIBITION
The exhibition 100: A Century of Collections, Community, and Creativity celebrates 100 years of groundbreaking work at the Schomburg Center. Curated by Center Director, Joy L. Bivins, the exhibition will explore Schomburg’s legacy through the prism of place, people, and material culture. Featuring iconic objects from each of Schomburg’s five collecting divisions across three galleries, 100 will surround visitors with the sights, sounds, and objects that have shaped this historic institution’s first schomburg.org/100. #SchomburgLive

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
PUBLIC NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER

FIRST COME, FIRST SEATED Events are free and open to all, but due to space constraints registration is requested. Registered guests are given priority check-in 15 to 30 minutes before start time. After the event starts all registered seats are released regardless of registration, so we recommend that you arrive Center.

E-TRANSPORTATION NYPL policy prohibits electric transportation devices (e.g., motorbikes, e-bikes, e-scooters, e-skateboards) from being brought into or stored at library sites for any length of time, as this is the best way to keep our spaces & people Library.

PRESS Please send all press inquiries (photo, video, interviews, audio-recording, etc) at least 24-hours before the day of the program to Leah Drayton at leahdrayton@consent.

Leadership support for the Schomburg Center’s Centennial is provided by Andreas C. Dracopoulos and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

Major support for centennial exhibitions is provided by the MetLife Foundation. Additional support is provided by Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Ford Foundation. The Home to Harlem Initiative is made possible by the Mellon  » target= »_blank » title= »nypl.org.