Celebrate the Holidays With the Schomburg

Schomburg Communications Pre-Professional Alicia Perez recently uncovered holiday treasures from our ample collections. Here, she shares a few of her favorites:

‘Tis the season! Time to place an angel at the top of the tree, light a candle in the kinara, and celebrate holiday traditions across the globe. For each custom you and your loved ones cherish, the Schomburg has something special in our collections to commemorate it.

Visit our Photographs and Prints Division and you’ll discover gems such as “Kwanzaa-1990, Brooklyn” (seen above) by photographer Chester Higgins, which highlights a community lighting candles of the kinara.

Even more treats can be found in our Jean Blackwell Huston Research and Reference Division, especially if you’re looking for some holiday-themed literature the entire family can enjoy. Nikki Grimes’s Under the Christmas Tree and Lucille Clifton’s Everett Anderson's Christmas Coming are just two examples from the vast collection.

The Jean Blackwell Huston Research and Reference Division also houses great educational resources like Maulana Karenga’s Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community, and Culture, a 1998 book that expands on the weeklong celebration he founded more than 30 years prior. You can research more books like these in our online catalog.

The holiday season brings out the foodie in all of us. Make your family feast a hit by looking through some of the historical Christmas menus from the segregated all-black 10th Cavalry at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, housed in our Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Book Division and available in our digital collections. Some tasty ideas include oyster soup, roast fresh ham with giblet gravy, roast turkey with walnut dressing, and marshmallow layer cake!

From the Schomburg family to yours, happy holidays!