1. On February 1, the Schomburg Center will join thousands of schools, libraries, and education institutions nationwide for Digital Learning Day—sponsored by the Alliance for Excellent Education—for a celebration of innovative teaching and learning using digital media and technology.  Digital Schomburg offers you the Schomburg Center’s premiere educational resources about African-American History and the Global Black Experience in multi-media digital formats including: Online exhibitions, digital books, images and illustrations, and links to related free web resources. From the transatlantic slave trade to the Harlem Renaissance, from the Great Migration to Caribbean independence, from the Civil Rights Movement to 21st century Africa, discover tens of thousands of images, scholarly essays, innovative maps, and lesson plans. Jump into Digital Schomburg today via these online exhibitions:   In Motion: The African-American Migration Experience The Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave trade: The Forgotten Story Africana Age: African and African Diasporan Transformations in the 20th Century  The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World African Americans and American Politics Lest We Forget: The Triumph Over Slavery Harlem 1900-1940 Wherever you are in the world, the Schomburg Center is just a click away at: www.schomburgcenter.org For more information about the Schomburg’s Education Programs, email: schomburged@nypl.org

    On February 1, the Schomburg Center will join thousands of schools, libraries, and education institutions nationwide for Digital Learning Day—sponsored by the Alliance for Excellent Education—for a celebration of innovative teaching and learning using digital media and technology.  Digital Schomburg offers you the Schomburg Center’s premiere educational resources about African-American History and the Global Black Experience in multi-media digital formats including: Online exhibitions, digital books, images and illustrations, and links to related free web resources. From the transatlantic slave trade to the Harlem Renaissance, from the Great Migration to Caribbean independence, from the Civil Rights Movement to 21st century Africa, discover tens of thousands of images, scholarly essays, innovative maps, and lesson plans.

    Jump into Digital Schomburg today via these online exhibitions: 

     In Motion: The African-American Migration Experience

    The Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave trade: The Forgotten Story

    Africana Age: African and African Diasporan Transformations in the 20th Century 

    The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World

    African Americans and American Politics

    Lest We Forget: The Triumph Over Slavery

    Harlem 1900-1940

    Wherever you are in the world, the Schomburg Center is just a click away at: www.schomburgcenter.org

    For more information about the Schomburg’s Education Programs, email: schomburged@nypl.org

  2. New Online Exhibition: The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World

    Over the course of nearly 2,000 years, millions of East Africans, free and enslaved, crossed the Indian Ocean in their journey to distant lands, from Arabia and Iraq to India and Sri Lanka. In India, some enslaved men became navy commanders, regents, and princes and founded dynasties.

    The African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World traces their truly unique and fascinating story of struggles and achievements.



  3. Terence Afer: Afro-Roman Playwright, Poet & Humanist

    By: Christopher Paul Moore, Special Projects and Research Coordinator, Schomburg Center

    Thirty to 50 percent of the population of ancient Rome were slaves of various nationalities.  To inform buyers of their origins, men, women and children like Terence Afer (c. BCE 195 - c. BCE 159) were sold with a neck tag indicating their homeland. Afer meant from Africa. He impressed his owner with his intellect and soon received an education in Greek and Latin literature.  

    Granted freedom, he became a teacher and playwright and given the opportunity to choose a surname. Described as a colore fusco (dark brown) handsome young man, Terence kept Afer. Comic plays by Terence became the model of modern theatre. His mastery of Latin and Greek theatre, particularly his use of subplots, realistic characters, plus comic and tragic rhythms were standards in European classrooms for nearly 2,000 years. Studied by such students as Shakespeare and Moliere, the word-plays and rhythms used by contemporary rap and hip-hop artists are reminiscent updates of Terence’s style.  Terence’s statement: homo sum: humani nil a me aleinum puto. “I am human, nothing of human interest can be alien to me” is among western literature’s first and best known maxims on human rights.

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