So,
what’s new with the Schomburg Library? “Well, we now have the Obama exhibit,”
said Compten Olijeah, the eager executive of security of the Schomburg Museum.
According to the Schomburg Center’s
website, the center is a historic public library and has been active in New
York City for over 85 years. Arturo Alfonso Schomburg was the creator of the
museum and was a Puerto Rican of African decent.
The
museum was on the rise as the Harlem Renaissance was underway during the time
the museum was starting off. Works featured in the museum include the likes of
Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson and Marcus Garvey. It has collected and
documented global black culture for decades and has over 10 million items out
for display. The library was designed a research llibrary in 1972.
Most
recent to go on display in the museum is first African American president,
Barack Obama.
President Barack has just been
initiated into the museum over a week ago through exhibition and will be open
for view come late July according to Olejiah mentioned that many students who
explore the library would sometimes approach him asking if there were any plans
of a President Barak exhibit. So he eventually decided to address the manner to
his superiors.
“We have [material] in the library [that]
talk about he and his family, but nothing big,” said Olejiah. “So once I
noticed that students kept asking for it, I thought it best to tell someone
about it and they were about half way done with the exhibit by the time I told
some one (laughing).”
He’s
excited about plans the Schomburg has in the near future. Oleijah who happens
to be from Nigerian descent, has been living in Harlem for over 23 years and
has been working at the Schomburg Library for over 12 years. In an accent as
vivid as his smile, he claimed that he loves what he’s seen the museum do for
people.
“I’ve been here a very long time,”
said Oleijah. “I believe that we sometimes need to be reminded of what it means
to value our culture. I value my culture and I appreciate how the museum has
helped others who may not have [understood] my culture, to grow to learn about
it.”
Oleijah said that he’s seen an
enormous transformation in the library. Only haven been there for 12 years, he
say’s that he’s seen so many visitors throughout the day, but that his joy is
seeing returning people.
“The library is meant for people to
really study different worlds than what they are use to, you know? It is
suppose to make you see the world through different eye’s and when I see
students or tourists come [many] times, it comforts me because that means that
they care enough to want to know more.”
No comments:
Post a Comment