Founded in 1925 by Puerto Rican-born black scholar and bibliophile Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, this important library is a national research center devoted to collecting and preserving documents that reflect the experiences of people of African descent throughout the world. The center’s collection first won acclaim in 1926, and since then, it has grown to more than 11 million items, including manuscripts, recorded sound, photographs and prints. It’s a truly unique New York institution.