What took so long? Harlem’s The Schomburg Center has been named a national landmark.
The Schomburg Center is an archive and repository for books, magazines, films and more pertaining to the African Diaspora.
Reports DNA Info New York:
The Harlem research library — named after Arturo Schomburg who started the collection in the 1920s and later sold it to the library — was among 24 places the Interior Department gave the designation Wednesday.
The center, located at 515 Malcolm X Blvd., “represents the idea of the African Diaspora, a revolutionizing model for studying the history and culture of people of African descent that used a global, transnational perspective,” the department said in a statement.
“The idea and the person who promoted it, Arthur (Arturo) Alfonso Schomburg… an Afro-Latino immigrant and self-taught bibliophile, reflect the multicultural experience of America and the ideals that all Americans should have intellectual freedom and social equality.”
Now part of the New York Public Library system, it first opened its doors in 1925.
“The Schomburg Center’s naming as a Historic Landmark underscores Arturo Schomburg’s commitment to preserving black history and advancing knowledge of black culture in America and worldwide,” said Tony Marx, President and CEO of the NYPL, via a press statement.
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Photo: NYPL
