Schomburg Center to host festival celebrating 100 years next weekend
On June 13, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, located at the New York Public Library (NYPL), will host its centennial festival, from 11:00 a.m to 7:00 p.m.
There will be multiple events happening simultaneously in different locations at the Center, both indoors and outdoors, for adults and kids throughout the day.
Indoor events include author talks, workshops, and panels in different areas in the Center’s main building, located at 515 Malcolm X Blvd in Manhattan. One of the author talks will be with Kyle Mays, who just released his new book, “When We Are Kin: The History and Future of Afro-Indigenous Solidarity” (2026, Haymarket Books).
In the book, Mays analyzes history to see what it would be like to have a Black and Indigenous future rooted in real solidarity, one that exists beyond the confines of the liberal imagination. It will be happening in the Langston Hughes auditorium starting at 1:00 pm, and will be moderated by Cori Murray, the executive vice president for the editorial department at EBONY magazine.
One of the workshops during the festival will be with Tim Fielder, called How to Draw Black Comics.
Tim Fielder is an illustrator, concept designer, cartoonist, and animator born in Tupelo, Mississippi. Tim has worked over the years in the storyboarding, film visual development, gaming, comics, and animation industries for clients including Marvel Comics, The Village Voice, and Tri-Star Pictures. This will be happening in the American Negro Theater at 2:00 PM.
There will also be several live readings for kids, including one of the book A Black Girl and Her Braids by Jaylene Clark Owens, starting at 2:00 PM. This will also be featuring The Braid Parade, where all are welcomed to come and walk the parade celebrating their braids!
Outdoor events will be happening on 135th Street between Malcolm X Boulevard and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard. One of these includes a reading of ReShonda Tate’s new book With Love From Harlem, happening on the James Baldwin Stage. It’s a novel inspired by beloved Harlem jazz performer Hazel Scott and the exhilarating and tumultuous relationship that changed the course of her life.
In addition, there will be live poetry readings featuring voices that celebrate, question, and explore the experiences that shape our lives right now, happening on the Zora Neale Hurston Stage from 1:00 PM to 3:45 PM.
Additionally, there will be a block party at 5:00 PM, with the best of classic hip-hop and R&B on the Octavia E. Butler Stage, featuring live performances and an exciting DJ set.
See the full schedule of the festival here: https://www.schomburg100fest.org/copy-of-2025-schedule-pre.
