This guide is designed to highlight collections focused on Black LGBTQIA+ Studies within the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. It is also a good starting point for conducting research in other New York Public Libraries and archives that collect materials created by and for LGBTQIA+ communities.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) studies, and queer studies are the study of issues relating to sexual orientation and gender identity focusing on LGBTQIA+ people, and cultures.
This guide pays special attention to collections created by Black and LGBTQIA + individuals within the Schomburg Center's collections. These archival collections span from the early 1920's to about 2014, documenting the lives of activists, writers, performers, and organizations.
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Lesbian Herstory Archives and the 25th anniversary of the Schomburg Center’s In The Life Archive, Digital Schomburg is thrilled to share our dual-publication, digital flipbook and limited edition printed zine, In Them We All Exist: Reflections and Resources on Black Lesbian Herstory in the Archives. The zine explores the rich history of self-archival practices and activism of Black lesbians throughout the latter half of the 20th century, similar to the story of the Center’s founder, Arturo Schomburg. It also highlights the importance of stewarding one's digital footprint and how history is (or is not) represented online. In Them We All Exist was written and designed by Kiahra Read, and edited by Kimberly Annece Henderson.