The New York Public Library Announces 2007 Programming at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Afrolatin@ forum at the Schomburg Center, Tribute to Duke Pearson, Sonny Clark and Kenny Drew; the CIN Caribbean Lecture Series; and 90th Birthday of Gwendolyn Brooks and 40th Anniversary of Third World Press among Fall Events

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture’s Fall 2007 public programming schedule brings a range of events celebrating icons and issues important to contemporary black culture. The following are a selection of upcoming events. All events are at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, located at 515 Malcolm X Boulevard. For more information, please call 212-491-2229 or visit www.schomburgcenter.org.

On Saturday, October 13 at 1 p.m. in the Langston Hughes Auditorium, the Center presents Black, Latino, Both: Afro-Latinos and the Current Immigration Debate, a public forum on the ways in which immigration is changing our notions of Blackness and Latinidad in the U.S., and the social and political role of Black Latinos in the current discussions about race and ethnicity. The event is organized by the afrolatin@ forum and co-sponsored by the Schomburg Center and the Museo del Barrio. Tickets: TBA. Advance registration is required.

On Sunday, October 21 at 3 p.m., the Center presents the Larry Ridley and Jazz legacy Ensemble Tribute to Duke Pearson, Sonny Clark and Kenny Drew in the Langston Hughes Auditorium. Larry Ridley and the Jazz Legacy Ensemble will explore in this concert the "hard bop" styles of Duke Pearson, Sonny Clark and Kenny Drew. Tickets are $17 for members and $20 for non-members. For ticket charge, call the Schomburg Shop at (212) 491-2206. This program is made possible with funding from The New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

On Saturday, November 3 at 7 p.m. in the Langston Hughes Auditorium, The 4th annual CIN Caribbean Lecture series will feature keynote speaker Hon. P.J. Patterson, former Prime Minister of Jamaica. Admission is free admission. Seating is first come, first serve.

On Friday, November 16 at 7 p.m. in the Langston Hughes Auditorium, the Center will host a Celebration of the 90th Birthday of Gwendolyn Brooks and 40th Anniversary of Third World Press. Ticket prices TBD.

About The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is one of the world's leading research facilities devoted to the preservation of materials on the global African and African Diaspora experiences. A focal point of Harlem's cultural life, the Center also functions as the national research library in the field, providing free access to its wide-ranging non-circulating collections. It also sponsors programs and events that illuminate and illustrate the richness of black history and culture.
 
The Schomburg Center's collections first won international acclaim in 1926 when the personal collection of the distinguished black scholar and bibliophile Arturo Alfonso Schomburg was added to the Division of Negro Literature, History and Prints of the 135th Street Branch of The New York Public Library.
 
Schomburg subsequently served as curator of the division from 1932 until his death in 1938. The division was renamed in his honor in 1940, and in 1972 it was designated as one of the Research Libraries of The New York Public Library.


About The New York Public Library
The New York Public Library was created in 1895 with the consolidation of the private libraries of John Jacob Astor and James Lenox with the Samuel Jones Tilden Trust. The Library provides free and open access to its physical and electronic collections and information, as well as to its services. It comprises four research centers – The Humanities and Social Sciences Library; The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts; the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; and the Science, Industry and Business Library – and 86 Branch Libraries in Manhattan, Staten Island, and the Bronx. Research and circulating collections combined total more than 50 million items. In addition, each year the Library presents thousands of exhibitions and public programs, which include classes in technology, literacy, and English as a second language. The New York Public Library serves over 15 million patrons who come through its doors annually and another 21 million users internationally, who access collections and services through its website, www.nypl.org.

 

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Contact: Jennifer Lam at 212.592.7708 or Jennifer_Lam@nypl.org