“I’m constantly thinking about the urgency to make sure that history honors and reverences our stories,” shared Solange Knowles in a short film presented at the Schomburg Center’s for Research in Black Culture’s Centennial Gala. That sentiment, ensuring global Black history is preserved, studied and celebrated, is at the core of the 2026 honorees recognized for continuing the legacy of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg. Knowles, Angela Bassett, Edwidge Danticat, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Nikole Hannah-Jones were recognized with medals of excellence on April 29 for their outstanding achievements across the arts, literature and academia.
For the gala, Harlem—where the Schomburg Center is located—came to midtown for the vibrant affair at the New York Public Library. As guests entered the storied Fifth Avenue entrance, they were serenaded by the Abyssinian Baptist Church Choir and then greeted with culturally curated cocktails by Deniseea Head. The musical ensemble Batalá New York lead a bass heavy drumline signaling the start of the program. Attendees including actress Amandla Stenberg, singer Samara Joy, playwright Lynn Nottage, artist Mickalene Thomas and famed dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones couldn’t help but bounce to the rhythmic procession.
Inside the Celeste Bartos Forum, the room was transported back in time to a retro chic Harlem supper club with a dinner designed by Chef Gregory Gourdet. For creative director and event planner Marc Wilson every element was intentional, from the table lamps to the floral jewel tones. “It was all about harkening back to the days of Harlem old,” said Wilson. “Telling the Schomburg story and telling this amazing history that Schomberg is— and will continue to be in the future.”
The Schomberg Center, which began with Arturo’s private bibliophile collection, now houses nearly 11 million items “centering the people of African descent” said director Joy L. Bivins before the medaling ceremony. “The Schomburg Center has proven in its long history that it is not only significant, it is singular.”
From the film presentation, honoree Hannah-Jones shared, “Arturo Schomburg understood that the past has power, that how we collectively remember what happened, shapes a society that lives in the present.” Haitian author and honoree Danticat echoed Hannah-Jones. “I love the Schomburg. To be a part of that lineage [and] on the 100 years, is extraordinarily moving to me,” she said. “At a time when so much is being erased, it’s such an extraordinary act of inclusion, for the diaspora, for all of us.”
Below, more from inside the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture Centennial Gala on April 29 in New York.
