IV 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 766 
Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Schomburg Center 
for Research in Black Culture. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 26, 2025 
Mr. ESPAILLAT submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary 
RESOLUTION 
Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the 
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. 
Whereas the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Cul-
ture, a research library of The New York Public Library, 
is recognized as one of the world’s leading institutions de-
voted to the preservation, study, and celebration of Black 
and African life, history, and culture, serving as both a 
community anchor in Harlem and internationally re-
nowned research library; 
Whereas the Schomburg Center has nurtured generations of 
writers, scholars, artists, and activists, from Langston 
Hughes and James Baldwin to Augusta Savage and con-
temporary voices shaping the global conversation on race 
and identity, ensuring its continued role as the living re-
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•HRES 766 IH 
minder of the Harlem Renaissance and a cornerstone of 
African and African Diasporic studies; 
Whereas, on July 14, 1905, a newly constructed library 
building in Harlem at 103 West 135th Street opened, 
with the title of 135th Street Branch Public Library, 
with a collection of over 10,000 books and goal of serving 
the neighborhood; 
Whereas, in 1920, Ernestine Rose became the branch librar-
ian of the 135th Street Branch and immediately insti-
tuted changes in the branch to serve the needs of the vi-
brant African and Latino community that would make 
the library a hub of the Harlem Renaissance; 
Whereas the branch has been a leader in integration and di-
versity in New York City, with the hiring of the first Af-
rican-American librarian, Catherine Allen Latimer, and 
hiring the first Puerto Rican librarian, Pura Teresa 
Belpre´; 
Whereas the branch has been a focal point of the Harlem 
Renaissance, as a meeting place of intellectuals and art-
ists and the only library branch in New York City which 
employed Black librarians, and met the community re-
quests to feature Black artists and literature; 
Whereas resourceful librarians and community leaders advo-
cated for the creation of the Division of Negro Lit-
erature, History, and Prints, the forerunner of the 
Schomburg Center, on May 8, 1925; 
Whereas Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, an acclaimed Afro- 
Latino historian and archivist, sold much of his collection 
to The New York Public Library for the 135th Street 
Branch and became the curator of the Division of Negro 
Literature, History and Prints; 
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•HRES 766 IH 
Whereas, upon Schomburg’s untimely passing, the Division 
was renamed in his honor to the Schomburg Collection 
of Negro Literature, and eventually the entire branch 
was named the Schomburg Center for Research in Black 
Culture; 
Whereas, being inspired by the teachings of W.E.B. Du Bois, 
the American Negro Theatre was founded in the base-
ment auditorium, with the belief that African-American 
theatre should be made by, about, for, and near African- 
Americans; 
Whereas, in 2000, the Schomburg Center held an exhibition, 
Lest We Forget: The Triumph Over Slavery, that was so 
successful it went on a world tour for over a decade 
under the sponsorship of the United Nations Edu-
cational, 
Scientific, 
and 
Cultural 
Organization 
(UNESCO); 
Whereas, in 2016, the Schomburg Center’s original and sub-
sequent buildings were designated a National Historic 
Landmark, recognizing its central place in American his-
tory; 
Whereas the Schomburg Collection is considered one of the 
most prestigious African-American and Afro-centric col-
lections in the United States, consisting of over 
11,000,000 artifacts, including writings and recordings of 
Marcus Garvey, Toussaint Louverture, Booker T. Wash-
ington, Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, and Malcolm 
X; and 
Whereas, to this day, the Schomburg Center is committed to 
meeting the needs of its community, providing edu-
cational and public programs year-round and establishing 
the long-term fellowship program known as Scholars-in- 
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•HRES 766 IH 
Residence and the youth educational initiative Junior 
Scholars Program: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the 100th anniversary of the 
founding of the Schomburg Center for Research in 
Black Culture; 
(2) commends the critical work it has done in 
advancing 
intellectual 
growth, 
cultural 
under-
standing, and historical preservation of African and 
Black culture; and 
(3) celebrates the lasting and continued impact 
of the Schomberg Center as a beacon of research, 
creativity, and community engagement in African- 
American and African Diaspora studies, and Amer-
ican history. 
Æ 
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