The Schomburg Center's Junior Scholars Program
In December 2024, Junior Scholars Program students visited the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books and Photographs and Prints divisions. They viewed collection materials dating back to the late 19th century. They also viewed curated items from the collections of poet Langton Hughes, photographer Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, human rights activist Malcolm X, and many more.
Photos: Lisa Herndon
Fellowship Overview
Apply Junior Scholars Program. Priority Deadline, June 15. Final deadline, Monday, June 30.
Each year, 100 youth from 6th through 12th grade participate in the Schomburg Center's Junior Scholars program. This tuition-free Saturday program (10 AM to 3 PM) during the academic year promotes historical literacy through college-style lectures and presentations, group discussions and activities, and project-based learning. Students generate individual research, original writing, art portfolios, and collaborative multimedia arts projects from their intensive study of the Center’s archives and resources.
Through this program, the Schomburg's Junior Scholars increase their historical literacy, expand their knowledge of who they are as intellectual, social, cultural and artistic beings, embrace their legacy as African-American citizens, and learn about the cultures of their prolific and trailblazing ancestors.
Junior Scholars Program recently held its 23rd annual Youth Summit. This year’s theme was Schomburg’s Dream, Our Reality, which they created in celebration of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture’s 100th anniversary. Through music, media, radio journalism, visual arts, and spoken word, they presented a multimedia showcase reflecting the beauty, struggles, and triumphs of today’s Black experience. Students used archival material in the Schomburg Center’s collections and Harlem’s history as their inspirations.
If you would like to receive information about the Schomburg Center's upcoming public programs, exhibitions, research guides, and more, sign up for our free e-newsletter, Schomburg Connection.
Additional Information
Applications | Curriculum | Testimonials
Applications
Applications to the 2025–2026 class of the Junior Scholars are now available. Submit your application by the priority deadline on Sunday, June 15, 2025, or by the final deadline on Monday, June 30, 2025. Group interviews which are by invitation, will take place in July and August. If there are any questions about the program, please email SiraLewis@nypl.org.
Junior Scholars Program Curriculum
The curriculum for the Junior Scholars Program is dynamic and themes change every year in relation to the Schomburg Center’s lead exhibitions, archival and digital collections, and current events.
It is important to note that the topics covered as part of the Junior Scholars curriculum are not often addressed as part of student’s in-school learning. By highlighting the important contributions that African-Americans have made to U.S. history and culture, the program makes an important impression on participants and instills a deeper understanding about their heritage and the important role they play as citizens. The Junior Scholars Program is unique in that it is one of the only opportunities middle- and high school-aged students in the New York area have to engage in structured, in-depth learning about Black history.
A listing of the various types of Junior Scholars curriculum activities:
- Lectures/Seminars featuring leading authorities in African-American & Africana studies
- Video and film screenings
- Cultural arts performances
- Special workshops in music, theater, dance, video production, magazine publication, visual arts and spoken word
- Research projects, with special access to the Schomburg Center collections and exhibitions
- Professional development forums for careers in fields such as business, medicine, law, science, technology, entertainment, education, and performing arts
- Educational tours of New York City historical and cultural sites
- “Teen Talk” book discussion groups that require students to read two books each year
- An Annual Youth Summit, the program’s culminating presentation and celebration in May
Testimonials
"Doing the Junior Scholars Program has changed me for my entire life. I came in without a place for myself or my culture. I was able to not only learn and appreciate my culture, but find people who were like minded to me. The ju ior scholars program something that I have looked forward to EVERY Saturday for the past 3 years. Without Junior Scholars I would not be who I am today, and it is needed for young people like me who need a place for their culture and heritage to flourish." — Kiesse, high school junior
"This programs allows my son to get out of his community and discover a new world outside of his environment. This allows him to understand differences and more about others." — Janise, parent
"The Junior Scholars Program is, in so many ways, one of the greatest expressions of Arturo Schomburg’s vision for the transformative power that knowledge of the Black past has for Black people. JSP offers participants a life-changing opportunity to explore, research and create, drawing on a first rate archival repository and guided by a group of exceptional educators." — Melissa, parent
"The Schomburg Center is very important to me. It has taught me things that I do not learn at school and information that is withheld by those who have the power to do so. I've been a part of so many life changing opportunities because of JSP." — Ealan, high school junior
If you would like to receive information about the Schomburg Center's upcoming public programs, exhibitions, research guides, and more, sign up for our free e-newsletter Schomburg Connection.
Support for the Schomburg Junior Scholars program is made possible through the generosity of Puma, The Carver Scholarship Fund, the New York City Council, and The Lanie and Ethel Foundation.
