- Call number
- Sc MG 628
- Physical description
- 1.63 linear feet (3 boxes)
- Language
- English
- Preferred Citation
- [Item], Preservation of the Black Religious Heritage Project surveys, Sc MG 628, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library
- Repository
- Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
- Access to materials
- Some collections held by the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture are held off-site and must be requested in advance. Please check the collection records in the NYPL's online catalog for detailed location information. To request access to materials in the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, please visit: http://archives.nypl.org/divisions/scm/request_access Request access to this collection.
This collection includes completed and incompleted survey responses from various religious institutions across the United States. It also includes lists of participating institutions and photocopied articles on the Works Progress AdministrationPA's historical records surveys.
Biographical/historical information
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture launched its Preservation of the Black Religious Heritage Project in January 1989 with a $300,000 grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc. The second project grant of $250,853 was awarded in October 1990. In undertaking this initiative, the Schomburg Center recognized the pivotal roles played by religious bodies in acting on social and economic concerns within the African American community, in addition to their spiritual functions. The goal of the project was to create a more comprehensive base of Black religious resources at the Schomburg Center and serve as a catalyst for preserving such resources in churches, religious bodies, and other repositories. The Schomburg Center wanted to develop collections that provided a strong foundation for the study of the spiritual aspects of the Black religious experience while documenting the role of the church in Black economic, political, and social life through survey answers. Additionally, the Schomburg Center sought to be the permanent home for these institutions' collections. A seven-member Scholars Advisory Council was organized, as well as an interdenominational National Advisory Board, along with project archivist Victor Smythe. Two major symposia brought together interdenominational and interfaith audiences composed of scholars, seminarians, clergy, and lay persons from across the country to address historical and contemporary concerns.
Surveys of historical records were completed in 70 churches in 12 cities across the country, encompassing 16 different denominations and faiths. Surveys were initiated in an additional 43 churches. Churches were recruited through mailings, direct contact by the project archivist and advisory committee members, newspaper articles, and radio interviews about the project.
Administrative information
Source of acquisition
Received in September 1997.
Separated material
Transferred to the Art and Artifacts Division: 3 paintings
Transferred to the General Research and Reference Division: dissertations, microfilm, and microfiche
Transferred to the Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division: audio and moving image materials. For more information, please contact the division at schomburgaudiovisual@nypl.org or 212-491-2270.
Transferred to the Photographs and Prints Division: photographs
Using the collection
Location
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801
Second Floor