Found 166 collections.

Quincy Troupe (born 1939) is a poet, author, and editor, perhaps best known for co-writing Miles: The Autobiography (1989) with the influential jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. His father, Quincy Trouppe, Sr., was an all-star catcher in Negro league baseball. The Quincy Troupe papers, dating from 1915 to 2008, mainly document Troupe's career from the mid-1970s to 2008. They also hold the scrapbooks of Quincy Trouppe, Sr. less

Born in Toledo, Ohio, activist, entrepreneur, and writer Kevin McGruder attended Harvard University (BA in Economics) and Columbia University (M.B.A. in Real Estate Finance). In 2007, he began his doctoral studies in History at the Graduate Center of the City University New York. In 1990, McGruder opened Home to Harlem, one of the first souvenir shops in Harlem, and currently co-owns Harlemade, a souvenir shop also located in Harlem. He was a board member of Other Countries, a black gay writers collective, and the executive director of Gay Men of African Descent (1997-2001). McGruder's essay, "Colleagues", appears in Other Countries' second journal, Sojourner: Black Gay Voices in the Age of AIDS; his essay, "I Hate Basketball", appears in Fighting Words: Personal Essays by Black Gay Men, edited by Charles Michael Smith, and his essay, "To Be Heard in Print: Black Gay Writers in the 1980s", appears in Obsidian III: Literature in the African Diaspora. The collection contains biographical and genealogical information for McGruder and his family; his writings; correspondence, business and financial records, promotional materials, and news clippings for Home to Harlem; minutes from board meetings, strategic plans, journals, membership information, newsletters, flyers, and news clippings related to McGruder's involvement with Other Countries and Gay Men of African Descent. less

A veteran theater artist of the 1960s and 1970s civil rights inspired Black theater movement, Henry Miller has directed a number of plays in the African American drama canon. Between 1962 and 1992, Miller founded three Black theater companies: the Joseph Patterson Players (1962-1965), the Afro-American Repertory Theatre Company (1971-1978) and the James Baldwin Writers' Workshop Theater (1992-2002). The Henry Miller Theater collection chronicles Miller's work in theater, film, and television as an artist and scholar and spans the period 1957-2005. less

Ron Simmons, an early Black LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer or Questioning) rights activist in the 1970s and 1980s. The Ron Simmons papers contain manuscripts for several of his writings, correspondence, research material, and material related to his professional work. less

Known as the "Mother of Medicine in Harlem", Muriel Petioni was a doctor and community leader. The Muriel Petioni papers reflect primarily on her participation in various organizations including the Gayap Organization; they also include professional correspondence; African diaspora related documents; and Harlem related documents. less

African-American composer, musician, and arranger, Hall Johnson is best known as a choral director and for his arrangements of spirituals. In 1925, Johnson formed the Hall Johnson Negro Choir, which performed spirituals in the traditional style. The Hall Johnson Choir, which he organized in 1928, performed on Broadway in Marc Connolly's play Green Pastures (1930), for which Johnson was music director. Johnson was known for his compositions as well as the articles he authored that discussed the history of spirituals and their performance practice. The Hall Johnson Collection contains a miscellaneous assortment of material including correspondence and news clippings regarding a workshop Johnson held in East St. Louis, Missouri, in 1969; and a letter to Katherine Dunham explaining his need to give more time to the inexperienced chorus. There is a music book with some holographic music; a poem he authored "Changelessness" (1956); and a few notes. This collection also includes biographical notes and personal recollections written in 2001, by Madeline Preston, a friend and member of his choir, along with a letter Johnson wrote to her in 1956. less

The Wallace Bass Boyd collection is comprised of forty-seven journals, biographical accounts and geographical descriptions of Black life in the South, as well as drafts of his writings from 1985-2007. The journals primarily capture Boyd's day-to-day experiences spanning across his undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate years. Four of the forty-seven journals are written to family members and aspiring artists. Notations about art and his artistic practice can also be found throughout the collection. less

Andrew Goodman, along with hundreds of other students, was a volunteer in the Mississippi Summer Project launched in June 1964 to register Black Mississippi residents to vote and to establish Freedom Schools. The Andrew Goodman Memorial collection consists primarily of news clippings and other printed material related to the 1964 murder of three civil rights workers Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner. less

This collection includes Witherspoon's published and unpublished poetry, including his best known works: An American Haiku Novel and On the Stair, both in his signature style of linked-haiku or renga. A travel journal kept in Africa, a critique of the Kenyan educational system, a play about the Black hijacker of a bus, an educational program report, various printed material, notebooks, and miscellaneous correspondence complete the collection. less

Founded in 1984 by Carl MaultsBy, the Rejoicensemble promotes musical performances and compositions by African American and African Diasporic composers and musicians. The Rejoicensemble collection contains programs, brochures, musical scores, and a published book on the basics of learning to play gospel music on piano by Carl MaultsBy. less

New York City's first so-called Slum Clearance Project, headed by urban planner Robert Moses, caused the physical destruction of a once tight-knit African American community that dated back to the early 1900s. The buildings on 98th and 99th in Upper West Side Manhattan, or what is affectionately known today as "The Old Community", were razed from the 1940s to the 1950s as part of this urban renewal program. Although the residents were forced to relocate, the community stayed connected through annual dances (ca. 1950s-1990s) organized by constituents of the West 98th and 99th Streets Association, and then through "The Old Community" annual reunions (1999-) headed by Jim Torain. The Old Community West 98th-99th Streets Reunion collection consists of "The Old Community" reunion programs, 2003-2011; background information on some of the former community members; reports; journal, newspaper, and magazine articles about the history of the West 98th and 99th Streets community, Park West Village (which replaced the buildings on West 98th and 99th Streets), and the urban renewal program and its impact on this neighborhood. Additionally, there are a few Spirit of 179 newsletters, 1952-1953, which were written by the young members of the PS 179 Community Center. They note some of the community events before the relocation took place. less

Successful in animation and film for four decades, Tee Collins was the first creative designer to produce the premiere animated spot for Sesame Street. Known primarily for his creation of "Wanda the Witch" (1969), a character on Sesame Street, Collins also received the Children's ACT award for his invention of the first animated Black princess, "The Songhai Princess." He developed his own studio in New York, working in both national and international television for which he created many award winning animated spots. Collins also taught animation at the University of Central Florida for 11 years. The Tee Collins collection is made up of biographical matter, including a resume, lists of awards and credits, University of Central Florida material and Collins's basketball memorabilia; tribute materials celebrating Collins's 40 years in animation and film, consisting of flyers, brochures, and programs (some photocopies) of events that took place at UCF, the Schomburg Center, and the Harlem Collective; correspondence, including a letter from Joan Ganz Cooney; and articles covering Collins's accomplishments in his career in animation. less

Moorish Science Temple of America, is an U.S. religious movement founded in Newark, N.J., in 1913 by Timothy Drew (1886–1929), known to followers as Noble Drew Ali and also as the Prophet. Drew Ali taught that all Blacks were of Moorish origins but had their Muslim identity taken away from them through slavery and racial segregation. He advocated that they should "return" to the Islam of their Moorish forefathers, redeeming themselves from racial oppression by reclaiming their historical spiritual heritage. He also encouraged use of the term "Moor" rather than "Black" in self-identification. Many of the group's formal practices were derived from Muslim observances. This collection consists of materials collected by Allen Ahmed Bey for his research on the Moorish Science Temple in the United States. Included in the collection are legal briefs on the status of Moorish Nation Nationals (citizens) which contain a public declaration of national constitutional immunity. Also included are a number of documents on the history of the Moorish Nation and instructional manuals (lessons) for members. less

Cecil Anderson, also known as the "Duke of Iron," was an internationally known Calypso performer and composer. A native of Trinidad, Anderson moved with his family to New York in 1923. During his active years (1930s-1960s), he was influential in promoting the spread of this Afro-Caribbean music genre throughout the United States. Among his most popular songs are "Matilda", "Out De Fire", "Last Train to San Fernando", "Ugly Woman", "Big Bamboo", and "Don't Stop the Carnival.". The Cecil "Duke of Iron" Anderson collection contains newspaper clippings, a scrapbook, performance flyers and programs, invoices, booking requests, and copyright certificates. Some materials pertain to his daughter, Velma M. Anderson. less

Chester Higgins (born 1946 in Lexington, Kentucky) has worked as a New York Times staff photographer since 1975 and has exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the world. Higgins is the author of several books including Black Women (1970), Drums of Life (1974), Some Time Ago: A Historical Portrait of Black America from 1850 to 1950 (1980), Feeling the Spirit: Searching the World for the People of Africa (1994), Elder Grace: The Nobility of Aging (2000), Ancient Nubia: African Kingdoms on the Nile (2012), and his memoir, Echo of the Spirit (2004). The Chester Higgins artist file consists of an extensive curriculum vitae (2008), postcards of selected photographs, announcements and invitations to his solo exhibitions (1974, 1990-2012), and a press kit for the exhibition "Invoking the Spirit: Worship Traditions in the African World", which was on view at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Also in the file are announcements to his lectures; copies of his weekly column, "Lens", which was published in The New York Times (1992, 2006); reviews of two of his books; a sales blad for Feeling the Spirit; and a calendar and teacher's resource manual for his book Elder Grace. Articles featuring his photographs in The New York Times Magazine" and a variety of other magazines complete the collection (1990-2007). less

Joan Ross Sorkin is a playwright, opera librettist, musical theater bookwriter, lyricist, and screenwriter. Sorkin was born in New York City and attended the University of Rochester, as well as the London School of Economics and Political Science, where she studied history and politics. She went on to work as a research analyst in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, where she gained interest in race relations, a theme which has influenced several of her theatrical works. After earning a law degree and practicing law on Wall Street, Sorkin began writing plays and musical theater including the opera Strange Fruit and the play (mis)UNDERSTANDING MAMMY: The Hattie McDaniel Story. . Her plays, operas, musicals, and cabarets have been presented off-Broadway and at regional theaters, earning her national acclaim. Sorkin is currently a member of The Dramatist Guild, BMI Musical Theater Workshop, and New Vic Collaboratory. The Joan Ross Sorkin collection, 2003-2010, is comprised of materials documenting two of her works, the opera Strange Fruit and the play (mis)UNDERSTANDING MAMMY: The Hattie McDaniel Story, which are based on race relations and events from American history. The collection contains libretti, a piano score, programs, press releases, and reviews pertaining to the two works. less

The National Conference of Artists (NCA), founded in 1959, is the country's oldest and largest visual arts organization, and provides a national and international forum for emerging and established artists of African descent. The National Conference of Artists Records consists of administrative records, by-laws, and printed material, especially relating to annual national conventions. less

The New Heritage Theatre Group records consists of playbills, broadsides, flyers, playscripts, correspondence and printed matter relating to the organization's productions and events from 1965-2015. Of particular note are original playscripts and production materials for the South African musical "Sarafina!" (1988-1991) and flyers and announcements for a play reading series entitled "Voices of Griots" (1991-1996). There is also a biographical file for Roger Furman. less

Cheryl Boyce-Taylor was born in Arima, Trinidad, and migrated to St. Albans Queens at the age of thirteen. Boyce-Taylor attended a Seventh Day Adventist high school in the Bronx, and completed undergraduate studies at City College of New York. Boyce-Taylor later completed an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Southern Maine, Stonecast. She married Walt Taylor at the age of 19, and gave birth to her son, Malik Isaac, a year later. In the early 1970s, she formed the Boyce-Taylor Theatrical Company and began performing her poetry. She began taking her poetry more seriously after completing a course at Hunter College with Audre Lorde during this same time period. Boyce-Taylor has published several full-length poetry monographs including: As A Woman I Laugh and Cry: Poems, Birthsounds, Rhythms and Other Contractions, Convincing the Body, and Raw Air. Her work has been featured in magazines and journals such as Callaloo, in addition to her notable work with choreographer Ron K. Brown's Evidence Dance Company. The Cheryl Boyce-Taylor papers, 1982-2014, partially document the artistic and personal life of poet, visual and teaching artist, Cheryl Boyce-Taylor. The collection contains biographical material, such as correspondence and interview transcripts; writing material, such as manuscripts, drafts; and printed matter, such as programs, flyers, and clippings. less

Shirly Stark, born in New York City in 1927, was an African American artist, an art professor who specialized in sculpture, and a poet. Stark moved to Detroit, Michigan, with her second husband where she discovered her love of sculpting and began studying art at Wayne State University. Only five years later, Stark left her job at the Internal Revenue Service to study art in Italy. When Stark returned from Europe, she received a grant for a residency at MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire and a work-study grant from the Wurlitzer Foundation in New Mexico to continue her work as an artist. In 1972, Stark's experience with carving basalt helped her become assistant to Dimitri Hadzi, internationally renowned sculptor, while he worked on a project in Eugene, Oregon. Stark was later appointed as the first female Mellon Chair in Sculpture at Carnegie-Mellon University in 1975. She died in Denver, Colorado, in 2006. The Shirley Stark Papers contain very little biographical information and no documentation of her work as an artist. It contains a small amount of letters (1996-2001), poetry (1996-2006), drafts, and a publication. Most of the letters are written by Stark to poet Gale Jackson. The poems include a selection of Stark's completed works and drafts; some were written in Taos, New Mexico during a 1998 Wurlitzer writing fellowship. less

Sonja Dumas is a performer, choreographer, writer, arts consultant, film director, producer, and founder and artistic director of a dance company called Continuum Dance Project. She was born on December 9, 1961 and grew up in the United States, Ethiopia, and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Dumas attended Princeton University and earned her MBA from Columbia University. As a dancer and choreographer, Dumas has toured and performed in the Caribbean and Europe. Dumas has also worked as the curator of several art exhibitions showcasing the works of Caribbean artists, directed and produced several short films and one documentary, and written stories for children and young adults. She also lectures in dance and performance studies at the University of Trinidad and Tobago. Dumas has received several awards and fellowships including the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival Best Local Film award in 2010 for her film Julia and Joyce, a choreography award in 1996, and a Kennedy Center Fellowship for choreography. The collection is comprised of the exhibition catalogues from the art and photography exhibits curated by Sonja Dumas. The exhibits were located at The Gallery at CLICO in Trinidad, Meridian International Center in Washington D.C., and Campbell's of London in the United Kingdom. Among the many Caribbean and Trinidadian artists represented in the exhibition catalogues are Boscoe Holder, Peter Minshall, Jackie Hinkson, and Lisa O' Connor. less

The Gay Freedom Movement (GFM) of Jamaica was founded by Laurence Chang, Michael Davis, Gary Muirhead, Father Joe Owens, Clive Wilson, and Winston Witter in 1977, as the first publicly gay organization in Jamaica and one of the first gay rights organizations in the Caribbean. Spanning from the 1970s to the 2000s, Chang's collection highlights the GFM's activity in Jamaica, largely through correspondence and publications. less

Nell Carter was an award-winning singer and actress who appeared in many popular theater, television, and film works from 1971 until her death in 2003. Born Nell Ruth Hardy in 1948, she made her Broadway debut in the short-lived 1971 musical Soon. Her breakthrough role was in the 1978 Broadway production of Ain't Misbehavin', a musical revue inspired by the jazz music of Fats Waller and the Harlem Renaissance. Carter won a Tony Award for her performance as well an Emmy Award for her reprisal in the 1982 NBC television broadcast of the show. In 1979, she appeared in the film adaption and soundtrack of the musical Hair. Carter starred in the NBC sitcom Gimme a Break! from 1981 until 1987, receiving multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her role as the housekeeper Nell Harper. Carter, who in some TV series also appeared as Nell Ruth Carter, was active in the theater and on television and film throughout the 1980s and 1990s; notable acting credits include roles in revivals of Hello Dolly! and Annie; the ABC sitcoms You Take the Kids and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper; and in the films Bebe's Kids and The Glass Harp. Carter was married twice and lived with her partner, Ann Kaser, after her second divorce until her death in 2003, from heart complications related to diabetes. She is survived by a daughter and two adopted sons. The Nell Carter scrapbooks collection features newspaper and magazine articles, and playbills that highlight both the professional and personal life of the award-winning singer and actress. The NBC sitcom Gimme a Break! (1981-1987), is represented in critical reviews of Carter and her show. Also featured in the collection are clippings related to the award-winning musical Ain't Misbehavin', for which Carter received a Tony Award in 1978. The scrapbook includes clippings from the televised special of Ain't Misbehavin', which aired in 1982, and the revival of the play on Broadway in 1988. In 1982, Carter received an Emmy for her performance in the televised version of the musical. less

Janet Arneda McDonald was an African American novelist, journalist, and lawyer. The Janet McDonald papers, 1960-2007, document her personal experiences as an African American lesbian throughout her education, legal career, and professional accomplishments as a writer and novelist. less