The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, part of the New York Public Library, is celebrating its centennial with the exhibition “100: A Century of Collections, Community, and Creativity,” on view through June 2026. The show features manuscript pages from Maya Angelou, writings by Malcolm X, photography by Gordon Parks, murals by Aaron Douglas, and the original 1925 visitor book signed by Langston Hughes, recreating the experience of visiting the institution at the height of the Harlem Renaissance.
The centennial matters because it highlights the Schomburg Center’s enduring role as a vital repository of Black history and culture, founded on the collection of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg. The exhibition and related programming, including dinners using Schomburg’s unpublished recipes, encourage visitors to reflect on their place in ongoing Black history and the global scope of the archive. It also underscores the importance of preserving and making accessible cultural heritage for future generations.