Schomburg Center Celebrates its 100 year anniversary!

Harlem's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is celebrating 100 years of service to the community by displaying some of its more than 11 million pieces of African American history. 

The exhibit, “100: A Century of Collections, Community, and Creativity,” opened to the public May 8 and runs through June 30, 2026.

"We emerge from a moment when it's not thought that there is Black history, and all of these things stand in as evidence that that is a falsehood,” said Schomburg Center Director Joy Bivins. 

The research institute was started by Arturo Schomburg and Catherine Latimer. Latimer was the first Black woman hired by the New York Public Library. 

The Schomburg Center is hosting a full schedule of events all year long in honor of its centennial. To learn more, click here.

Exhibition Audio Guide

Hear the story of the Schomburg Center as told by its staff in the audio guide for 100: A Century of Collections, Community, and Creativity, hosted by actor, director, and author LeVar Burton. Learn about incredible objects in the collections, librarians and curators who left their mark, and how the Schomburg Center became a world-renowned steward of Black history. Download Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app, to get started—or explore online. Listen now.

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