Black History & Culture

Artists of the African Diaspora have made monumental contributions to the world of art, producing an influential body of work informed by the black experience.  This book of thirty postcards celebrates the work of artists from Ethiopia, Dahomey (Benin), and Haiti, their names now sadly lost, as well as some Americans who are known worldwide – Hale Woodruff, Augusta Savage, Charles Alston, Archibald Motley Jr. – and others who aren’t but should be.

The works reproduced here are all from the collections of the Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

In recognition of African Americans' service during the Civil War, in 1866 Congress authorized six black infantry regiments (subsequently consolidated into the Twenty-fourth and the Twenty-fifth U.S. Infantry) and two cavalry units (the Ninth and the Tenth U.S. Army Cavalry). Black soldiers served admirably in Texas, the Southwest, and the Great Plains, maintaining order on the frontier and distinguishing themselves during the Indian Wars (thirteen enlisted men earned the Medal of Honor). During the harsh winters, the soldiers wore coats made of buffalo hides. Because of the coats' appearance and the men's own tightly curled hair, the Native Americans called them 

This unique volume from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, combining striking photographs and inspiring prayers drawn primarily from the collections of the Schomburg Center, spans the broad spectrum of religious traditions during the 19th and 20th centuries. Reflecting themes relevant to the black experience--including struggle, triumph, worship, family, and community--Standing in the New of Prayer features examples from diverse religious traditions, including Islam, Christianity, Yoruba, and Vodou. The book also includes prayers from some of the history's most powerful voices, among them W.E.B. Du Bois, James Baldwin, and Martin Luther King, 

Compiled by the members of the No Crystal Stair Booklist Committee at The New York Public Library. Continuing the work begun with the publication of The Negro in the United States in 1925, No Crystal Stair in 1971, and No Crystal Stair: Still Climbing in 1996, this new edition is representative of the wealth of material available in a number of important areas of endeavor. From segregation to integration, from this life to the next, from the Cotton Club to the Delta Blues, from poetry to style, this list offers journeys within the black experience to educate, entertain, enlighten, and enrich.