Collections in Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division

This collection mostly contains material related to Raoul Abdul's career as a singer and author. There is a limited amount of personal information, including some clippings from his early life. A large part of the collection consists of concert programs and tour information. Additionally, there is material on lectures and seminars, and reviews and correspondence regarding his writing, including 3000 Years of Black Poetry, The Magic of Black Poetry, and Famous Black Entertainers of Today. less

Action for Community Empowerment (ACE) was a grassroots community development non-profit organization based in Central Harlem dedicated to decent housing, safe neighborhoods, and tenant empowerment. The Action for Community Empowerment records, 1987-2006, contain information regarding ACE's efforts to improve housing and organize tenants in Central Harlem from the early 1990s to the mid-2000s. less

SDiane Adamz-Bogus (b.1946) is a writer, educator, and new age healer; she is also known as Shariananda Adamz and "The Oracle Soul-Joiner". The SDiane Adamz-Bogus papers date from 1946 to 2002, and document her work and life through correspondence, journals, photographs, scrapbooks, teaching files, files for the Woman in Moon publishing company, and writing files. less

Bill Adler is an American music journalist and critic who specializes in hip hop. He was director of publicity at Def Jam Recordings between 1984 and 1990, and subsequently co-authored the book Def Jam Recordings (2011). He also founded Eyejammie Fine Arts Gallery and co-founded the poetry record label Mouth Almighty Records. Since the early 1980s, he has promoted hip hop in a variety of capacities, including as publicist, biographer, record label executive, museum consultant, curator, and documentary filmmaker. Adler's work as a hip-hop archivist commenced during his years at Rush/Def Jam. The Adler hip hop archive, which includes sound recordings along with album cover art, books, films, videos, photographs, newspaper and magazine articles, publicity materials, and other advertising, was acquired by Cornell University in 2013. This collection mainly consists of printed matter about hip-hop artists, topics related to hip-hop, and hip-hop record labels. less

The formation of the American Bridge Association (ABA) in 1932 was due to racial prejudice; a group of African American players in the New York area conceived the idea of a national organization, leading to the ABA's formation at Buckroe Beach, Virginia. The American Bridge Association records (1933-2004) consist principally of printed matter, correspondence of the editor of the "Bulletin," and histories of the organization. less

Maya Angelou (1928-2014) was one of the most renowned and celebrated voices in American literature. The Maya Angelou papers consist of original manuscripts, computer generated typescripts, galleys, and proofs of published work as well as manuscripts for unpublished work and dozens of poems. Additionally, there is personal and professional correspondence, teaching files, printed matter, and materials from public and academic appearances and engagements. less

The Archambeau family, consisting of John Nicholas Archambeau and his two children, Lester and Sybil, immigrated to the United States from Jamaica in 1908 and 1919, respectively. John Nicholas attended Howard University, became a dentist, and married Julia Hood of Virginia. His daughter, Sybil, graduated from Teachers Training School in New Jersey in 1927, and in 1938, married Clyde Ewart St. Hill, Jr., originally from Barbados. Lester Archambeau married Thelma Woodward and had two children, Jason and Rita Louise Archambeau. The Archambeaus owned and operated the Old Ladies Home in Hackensack, New Jersey. The Archambeau and St. Hill family collection consists of papers pertaining to family members before and after they immigrated to the United States from Jamaica and Barbados. Documents for the Archambeau family include copies of the marriage certificates for John and Elizabeth Jane Archambeau, John Nicholas Archambeau's parents, who were married in Jamaica in 1869; and Emile Archambeau, a member of the family who owned members of John Archambeau's family during slavery. Other documents for the Archambeau family include several copies of nineteenth-century baptismal certificates; Elizabeth Jane Archambeau's passport and immigration documents for her grandchildren, Lester and Sybil; and deeds and other legal documents regarding the foreclosure of the family house in Hackensack, New Jersey (1932-1933). less

The Arthur Ashe papers document the wide range of Ashe's political, athletic, business, and philanthropic activities. Although they contain some significant material from the 1960s and 1970s, the papers are concentrated more heavily on Ashe's activities following his retirement from competitive tennis in 1980. less

The Association of Black Foundation Executives, Inc., founded in 1971 and based in New York City, is a nonprofit organization of philanthropic professionals that promotes effective and responsive philanthropy in Black communities. The records date from 1971 to 2002 and consist of annual program planning materials; board books; committee meeting minutes; correspondence; financial audits; grant applications; monographs and articles; and program report drafts. less

The Association of Black Women in Higher Education (ABWHE) is a non-profit, professional organization whose founding mission was to communicate, preserve, and sustain the presence of Black women in higher education; and to promote their intellectual growth and educational development. The collection contains material generated by members of the board of directors, and the various committees of the organization. These files detail the decision-making processes, administrative functioning, and financial arrangements of the ABWHE, and reflect the scope of its activities. less

Gary Batson is a playwright. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Fordham University, and two Masters of Arts degrees from Teachers College of Columbia University in education and communications. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in Education Administration from the University of Maryland. In the 1980s, Batson was a member of the Frank Silvera Writers Workshop and involved with the Negro Ensemble Company. His plays have been produced at a variety of theaters in New York City, Westchester County, and Rockland County; a few were directed by Arnold Beauchamp. In 2008, he co-founded the Mount Vernon Theater Company in New York, now known as Phoenix Arts, for which he is the Executive Producer. Additionally, Batson has published fiction and poetry, and he was a news reporter and editor. He currently teaches writing at Touro College, and he is a public relations consultant with Batson Communications. The Gary Batson collection consists principally of eight playscripts of his produced plays, written between 2004 and 2011. All except "A Fact of Matta" were produced. Announcements and news clippings discuss the plays productions. Also included are "Flawless: A Collection of Love Poems" (2007) and Batson's curriculum vitae. less

Harry Belafonte was a Jamaican-American musician, actor, and activist best known for popularizing calypso music with international audiences, and his involvement in the American Civil Rights movement. His collection contains project files, correspondence, scrapbooks, press materials, scores, lyrics, and scripts that chronicle his career as a singer, songwriter, actor, public speaker, and advocate for political and humanitarian causes. Belafonte's papers reveal the business aspects of his performance projects, source material for his acting and singing career, and organizing efforts associated with the political causes he championed. less

Alan Bell is president of BLK Publishing Company, Inc., founded in 1988 to publish magazines targeted to the Black lesbian and gay community. At present, the firm concentrates on graphic design and custom publishing with a special focus on developing materials for non-profit organizations that target underserved communities. In 1977, he founded Gaysweek, New York City's first mainstream weekly lesbian and gay newspaper and the first owned by an African American. For 11 years, Bell was the film critic at the Los Angeles Sentinel. He has edited three books and appeared in the Los Angeles Times. Among his many honors, he is recipient of a Premier Print Award (known colloquially as a Benny), the most prestigious award in the printing trade. In March 2015, the Los Angeles City Council passed a resolution commending him for Exceptional Achievement and Dedication. Bell holds BA and MA degrees in sociology, and a BS degree in business. This collection consists of printed matter, such as flyers, press releases, programs, and mailers, some of which are in the form of emails, about international LGBTQ events, organizations, and conferences, all of which was presumably collected by Alan Bell. Organizations include Other Countries and Brother 2 Brother (an annual men's retreat in California), among others. Events include a conference on HIV prevention for Latinos in Philadelphia and Black Gay Cruise (from Los Angeles to Baja, Mexico), also among others. There are also general press releases, such as one about a study on woman to woman sexual violence. 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

Founded in 1989 by behavioral health expert, cultural educator, and social architect, Cleo Manago, the Black Men's Xchange (BMX), is a human rights, educational, anti-oppression, and advocacy organization. BMX is the nation's oldest and largest community-based organization for same gender loving (SGL), bisexual, and diverse African-descended males to actually locate itself geographically within Black communities. Black Men's Xchange conducts activities that promote constructive leadership and decision making, healthy lifestyles, and social justice. It is a national nonprofit organization. This collection primarily consists of administrative materials for the New York branch of BMX. These materials include bylaws, membership information, committee meeting minutes, correspondence, and website information. Additionally, there is some printed matter, such as newsletters, articles, and programs for workshops and other events. less

The Black Women at Oberlin College Survey Project was created by Oberlin College alumna Michon Boston in 1982 to collect and document the college experiences of living black graduates. The study was done following the College's sesquicentennial celebration. Oberlin admitted women in 1835 and was the first American college to admit blacks, also in the nineteenth century. The women included in this survey were graduated between 1923 and 1979. The Black Women at Oberlin College Survey Project collection consists of fifty-three questionnaires. The information gathered in the questionnaires ranges from issues about college life to race, gender, and personal and professional backgrounds, including participation in community activities. There is data concerning the campus lives of these women, especially the relationship between blacks and whites and other minority groups, the unity of black students, black student organizations, the concerns of black students on campus, affirmative action, and the general feelings about being black women in a predominately white college, spanning six decades. less

The Joseph A. Boromé papers consists of his published and unpublished writings on Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian revolution, the island of Dominica, the English and African-American abolitionists John Candler and Robert Purvis, the Underground Railroad, the First Vigilant Committee of Philadelphia, and the African-American spiritualist lecturer and trance medium Paschal Beverly Randolph. The collection also includes research correspondence, notes, copies of historical documents and scrapbooks. One of the scrapbooks contains news clippings about Boromé's early career as a librarian at Columbia University and as the recipient of two research fellowships (1943-1953), as well as reviews he wrote for library journals. The other scrapbook documents his research trip to Dominica in 1953. Additional material in this collection include lists of Dominican and Barbadian organizations in New York City, his doctoral dissertation The Life and Letters of Justin Winsor, letters written to his mother Edith Boromé from 1947 to 1971, several drawings by Boromé, and family memorabilia including materials pertaining to the Dominica Benevolent Association and to his father Louis J. Boromé (1888-1922). less

Patti Bown was an American jazz pianist, singer, and composer. The Patti Bown papers (1940-2006) document her career and, to a lesser extent, her personal life. The bulk of the material concerns her work as a performer and composer from the 1960s through the 1990s, represented primarily by printed material such as fliers, clippings, and programs. The collection contains scores for songs that Bown performed, recorded, and composed, including manuscript scores in Bown's hand. Other material in the collection includes contracts, resumes, personal and professional letters to Bown, and photographs. There are also scripts from television and theater productions that Bown worked on as a musical director, musician, or actor. 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

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

The Djola Branner papers, 1983-2010, document his personal life and professional career as a writer, poet, dancer, choreographer, actor, and educator. The collection reflects how his identity and experiences as a gay Black man informed much of his creative work. less

The Sharon Bridgforth papers, 1989-2015, document her personal life and her career as a writer, playwright, and performer. The bulk of the collection consists of her writing and materials related to productions of her plays and films, such as manuscripts and drafts, programs and promotional material, and clippings. less

Donald Burness, a founding member of the African Literature Association, is the author of several books on Lusophone African literature and the editor of several poetry anthologies that focus on the works of writers from Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, and other African nations. The collection contains Burness's correspondence with African and Caribbean authors including Chinua Achebe, Manuel Dos Santos Lopes, Oscar Bento Ribas, and Andrew Salkey, among others. 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

Aimé Césaire (1913-2008) was a Black Martinican poet, politician, and social critic. As a student at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, he was a key figure in the literary and political movement known as Négritude, along with Léopold Sédar Senghor of Senegal and Léon-Gontran Damas of French Guyana. While students, the three men also created the literary review L'Étudiant noir (The Black Student). Returning to Martinique in 1939, Césaire taught at Lycée Schoelcher where he tutored a young Frantz Fanon. Césaire was elected Mayor of Fort-de-France and Deputy to the French National Assembly in 1945; in 1958, he founded the Parti Progressiste Martiniquais (PPM). He continued his literary and critical work, founding the journals Tropiques and Présence Africaine (now a major publishing house). His literary output includes the book-length poem Cahier d'un retour au pays natal; a historical essay on Toussaint Louverture, "Discours sur le colonialisme", which was published in Présence Africaine in 1950; and the plays Une tempête (a response to the racist depictions in Shakespeare's The Tempest) and Une saison au Congo, about the death of Patrice Lumumba. Césaire served as President of the Regional Council of Martinique from 1983 to 1988. He retired from politics in 2001. He died in April 2008, and proclaimed as a national hero in Martinique in 2011. This collection, donated by Martinican social geographer François Rosaz, contains commemorative materials about Aimé Césaire, mostly from 2008-2009. Materials consist of memorial programs and eulogies, including one given by Serge Letchimy, a member of the National Assembly of France; conference and theater programs, including a 2007 conference highlighting Césaire's relationship with the French Communist Party and his break from it in 1956; articles on Césaire (including a copy of a special issue of Small Axe from October 2008, and three commemorative issues of Le Progressiste, the PPM's weekly magazine); four issues of the newspaper France-Antilles from the days immediately following Césaire's death; bibliographies; commemorative postcards and stamps; and posters. less

This collection contains files of biographical material; correspondence; articles written by and about Chanticleer; his fashion drawings; assorted programs from events in which he participated; material related to his role as the executive director of The Learning Tree; and material related to the African-American Wax and History Museum. less

Cheryl Clarke is a Black lesbian poet, writer, critic, scholar, and activist. This collection is a testament to her life's work as a Black, lesbian, feminist activist and demonstrates her commitment to promoting Black lesbian visibility and voices through writing as activism. less

Marilyn Clement was an activist and a professional organizer in the social justice movement. The Marilyn Clement papers, 1967-2005, consist primarily of printed material, which document her activities as an activist with the organizations where she was either employed or worked as a volunteer. less

Club Cubano Inter-Americano, Inc. is a Cuban cultural and social club established in 1945 by Cuban residents who saw the need to develop a cultural space for Cubans and Hispanic Americans living in New York. Although the club's bylaws and constitution stated "regardless of race, sex, creed, political affiliation or religious preference," the bulk of the membership was Black. The collection is divided into four series, Board of Directors, Financial, General, and Melba Alvarado, and is almost entirely in Spanish. The records includes a copy of the club's certificate of incorporation, meeting notices, Reglamentos (rules of governance); Junta Extraordinaria Directiva (special executive board minutes); Libro de Actas (minute book); Relacion de Socios Fundadores (a list of founders), expense logs, correspondence, copies of the organization's first bulletin, "Boletin Oficial," press releases, journals, flyers for events, and related materials. less