A Separate Flame: Western Branch: The First African American Public Library / Today, libraries serve all of us — the rich, poor, young and old. They show us where, collectively, we have been; as well as point the way to what we may become. Yet, there was a time in America when these doors of knowledge, culture, self-improvement and universal education were closed to people of color. When the Louisville Western Branch Library opened in 1905, it took its place in history as the first in the nation to provide library services exclusively for the African American community, using only African American staff.
A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum / Our mission is to promote, honor and celebrate the legacy of A. Philip Randolph, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and contributions made by African-Americans to America’s labor movement; with a significant focus on the African American Railroad Employee.
Afro-American Sources in Virginia – A Guide to Manuscripts / Hub for all of the manuscripts within the state of Virginia related to the Afro-American experience.
Amherstburg Freedom Museum / Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada. The Amherstburg Freedom Museum is located in Amherstburg, Ontario, a chief entry point into Canada for those escaping slavery in the U.S. The Museum consists of two historic buildings and a main exhibition building that preserves the rich Black heritage and history of the region.
Amistad Research Center / The Amistad Research Center is committed to collecting, preserving, and providing open access to original materials that reference the social and cultural importance of America’s ethnic and racial history, the African Diaspora, human relations, and civil rights.
Black Archives of Mid-America / A collaboration between the Black Archives of Mid-America Inc. and Kansas City Public Library, funded by the Missouri State Library.
Black Loyalist Heritage Centre / Part of Nova Scotia Museum, Canada. The Black Loyalist Heritage Centre tells the story of the world.
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Pennsylvania Department / Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (CLP) supports educational attainment, economic development, and cultural enrichment in Pittsburgh.
Digital Library on American Slavery – UNCG University Libraries / Race and Slavery Petitions Project, NC Runaway Slave Advertisements, Voyages: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, Slave Deeds of North Carolina, Slavery Era Insurance Registries.
Dolph Briscoe Center for American History / Through stewardship, scholarship, and outreach, the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History increases knowledge and fosters exploration of our nation’s past.
Historical Society of Pennsylvania / Includes a research library with materials on immigration studies.
Indiana Historical Bureau / Researching African-American History in the Indiana State Library and Historical Building.
Library of Congress / African American Odyssey.
Library of Michigan / Provides historical and current information on African American history, society, and culture in 28 topical chapters.
Maryland State Archives African American Resources / Resources for African American History.
Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum (MCLM) / The Mayme A. Clayton Library & Museum (MCLM) is committed to telling the story of African- American experience in all its variations: family life, arts and entertainment, history, sports, medicine, architecture, politics, religion, law, technology, etc. The visionary, Mayme A. Clayton, Ph.D. (1923-2006), established the Western States Black Research Center (WSBRC) in 1975 because she believed that “children should know that black people have done great things.” In 2007, the organization was renamed in her honor as a testament to her contributions and legacy. Dr. Clayton, a librarian, collector, and historian, believed that preserving and sharing the often neglected and overlooked history of Americans of African descent was imperative for current and future generations. For over 40 years she independently and meticulously amassed a collection characterized as “one of the most academically substantial collections of African-American literature, manuscripts, film and ephemera independently maintained.”
Moorland-Spingarn Research Center / Washington, D.C. One of the world’s largest and most comprehensive repositories for the documentation of the history and culture of people of African descent in Africa, the Americas, and other parts of the world. As one of Howard University’s major research facilities, the MSRC collects, preserves, and makes available for research a wide range of resources chronicling the Black experience.
Multicultural Genealogical Center / A resource for studying southeast Ohio’s African-American history.
Located in Chesterhill, Ohio.
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center / National Park museum under construction in Cincinnati. Will contain records pertaining to all slavery-era persons. Collecting oral history on Underground Railroad sites and stories.
New Orleans Public Library / New Orleans Public Library: Transforming Lives, Enriching Neighborhoods, and Preserving History.
Newberry Library – African-American Genealogy / Describes the African-American genealogy resources in the Newberry Library, Chicago, Illinois.
Pennsylvania State Archives / African American Resources.
Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University / Preserves and promotes the use of published and unpublished primary sources for the exploration, understanding and advancement of scholarship of the history and culture of Africa and people of the African Diaspora in the Americas.
Richard B. Harrison Library – Mollie Huston Lee Collection / Lee was the first African America librarian in Wake County, North Carolina and founder of Raleigh’s Richard B. Harrison Library. Lee started and maintained a collection chronicling the African American experience both locally and nationally.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture / The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem is one of the world’s leading cultural institutions devoted to the research, preservation, and exhibition of materials focused on African American, African Diaspora, and African experiences. As a research division of The New York Public Library, the Schomburg Center features diverse programming and collections spanning over 11 million items that illuminate the richness of global Black history, arts, and culture.
St. Louis County Library / The Julius K. Hunter and Friends African American Research Collection (JKH Collection), established in 2000, features African American genealogical resources in print and on microfilm and microfiche. The JKH Collection was established through the efforts of Mr. Julius K. Hunter in collaboration with the St. Louis Genealogical Society. In addition to his personal contributions, Mr. Hunter sought donations from corporate and individual friends. To recognize and honor Mr. Hunter’s vision, St. Louis County Library established the Julius K. Hunter & Friends African American Research Collection. This collection continues to grow through funds from the library, the society, and Mr. Hunter and other friends of the collection.
The Mitchell Collection of African American History / AfricanAmericanCollection.com is a website that displays one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of African American History in the form of artifacts, books, letters, photographs, newspapers and more. The collection is absolutely amazing and is a great resource for people to view some of our nation’s most interesting moments in African American History.
U.S. National Archives – African-American Research / The Archives holds a wealth of material documenting the African American experience, and highlights these resources online, in programs, and through traditional and social media.
Umbra: Search African American History / More than 406,000 items from more than 1,000 U.S. archives, libraries, and museums. Umbra is a free digital platform and widget that brings together content documenting African American history and culture.
Western Reserve Historical Society – Research Library / The African American Archives of the Western Reserve Historical Society’s purpose is to collect, preserve and make accessible historic documents, memorabilia, art, and artifacts pertaining to African American life, history and culture in Northeast Ohio and beyond.