The 23rd Annual Junior Scholars Program Youth Summit

Welcome to Schomburg’s Dream, Our Reality: The 23rd Annual Junior Scholars Program Youth Summit!

Step into the vibrant world of the 23rd Annual Youth Summit, Schomburg’s Dream, Our Reality, where the voices of our scholars breathe life into Arturo Schomburg’s vision. This year, as we celebrate the Schomburg Center's Centennial, our scholars draw inspiration from history and their own lived experiences to explore the impact of cultural preservation, resilience, and creativity in today’s world. Building upon treasures found within the Schomburg Center's archives and the spirit of Harlem’s legacy, their work speaks to the enduring relevance of Black history, art, and imagination.

Through music, media, radio journalism, visual arts, and spoken word, they present a multimedia showcase that reflects the beauty, struggles, and triumphs of the Black experience today. This year's Youth Summit will also feature work from our brilliant scholars at Crossroads Juvenile Center and Horizon Juvenile Center.

This event forms part of Carnegie Hall's Nuestros sonidos festival.

Get ready to be empowered, educated, and inspired at the 23rd Annual Junior Scholars Program Youth Summit. See you there!

DOORS OPEN AT 11:00 AM. PRESENTATIONS START AT 11:30 AM.

Presented by JSP Visual Arts Scholars & M. Scott Johnson

Inspired by Arturo Schomburg’s seminal essay The Negro Digs Up His Past, this exhibition explores Afro-Surrealism through the lens of historical recovery and cultural resilience. The title Guarionex—taken from the Taíno leader and a pseudonym used by Schomburg himself—highlights the commitment to leadership, resistance, and cultural reclamation. Through visual storytelling, our scholars reimagine the archive as a living, breathing entity.

Presented by JSP Music Scholars & Yannick Florest & Terion Cooper

In honor of Harlem Renaissance 100, the JSP Music Scholars created a dynamic biographical mixtape celebrating the life and legacy of Grammy Award-winning singer, producer, and Harlem native Sylvia Robinson.
Sylvia Robinson: Across the Musicverse tracks Sylvia’s journey—from her early days as Little Sylvia, to her groundbreaking work founding Sugar Hill Records, the first hip-hop label. Themes of Afrofuturism and honoring the past while celebrating the present shine through the scholars’ original compositions and storytelling.

Presented by JSP Media Scholars & Sharee Hereford

This year, the Media Cohort is exploring Black entrepreneurship. Highlighting the powerful impact of the Black dollar and the legacy being built for future generations, scholars showcase how Black-owned businesses create economic opportunities while serving as cultural hubs and sources of pride. Using history, current events, and interviews, they spotlight the ongoing influence of Black business leadership in shaping our world.

Presented by JSP Radio Journalism Scholars & Amiri Tulloch

Get ready to tune in! In celebration of the Schomburg Center’s centennial and the legacy of Arturo Schomburg, Radio Journalism presents "What’s Tea?"—a dynamic live radio show designed to engage, educate, and uplift the Black community. Inspired by Schomburg’s commitment to preserving and exploring Black history and culture, scholars will delve into timely conversations on topics like the cultural impact of drill music in New York City, the media phenomenon of the television show Baddies, and more. The audience will be invited to participate in a special live Q&A session!

Presented by JSP Spoken Word Scholars & Subha Ahmed & Rahmell Peebles

Paying homage to Arturo Schomburg during a time when Black history preservation is increasingly under attack, this year’s Spoken Word performance seamlessly weaves together poetry, theater, and historical reflection.

View previous Junior Scholar projects here: www.nypl.org/junior-scholars-program!

About the Junior Scholars Program: Over one hundred youth from the New York City area, ages 12 to 18, are selected to participate in this uniquely designed free Black studies program at the Schomburg Center. Saturday sessions run from 10 AM to 3 PM. and use an inquiry-based and project-based approach to teach about black American history and the global black experience.

Junior Scholars attend college-style lectures and presentations, engage in dialogue with adult scholars, participate in guided peer group discussions and activities, generate individual research projects and portfolios, and create collaborative media and art projects that grow from their intensive study based on the Schomburg’s vast collections, exhibitions, and educational resources.

Junior Scholars increase their historical literacy, expand their knowledge of who they are as intellectual, social, cultural, and artistic beings, embrace their legacy as African American citizens, and learn of the lands and cultures of their prolific and trailblazing ancestors. Learn more and apply to our next cohort here: www.nypl.org/junior-scholars-program!

PRESS | Please send all press inquiries (photo, video, interviews, audio-recording, etc.) at least 24-hours before the day of the program to Leah Drayton at bGVhaGRyYXl0b24gfCBueXBsICEgb3Jn .

The Schomburg Junior Scholars program is made possible through the generous support of PUMA, The Carver Scholarship Fund, the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc., the New York City Council, and the New York State Legislature.

LEARN MORE! If you have questions about the program or education at the Schomburg, please contact the Schomburg Center's Junior Scholar Program Coordinator, Sira Marissa Lewis at c2lyYWxld2lzIHwgbnlwbCAhIG9yZw==.

COVID PROTOCOLS FOR IN-PERSON SCHOMBURG CENTER PROGRAMS

To ensure the health and safety of the public and our staff, policies and procedures created in collaboration with safety experts must be followed. Visitors are encouraged to wear a mask.

If you have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or suspect you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, please stay home.

PUBLIC NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER

By registering for this event, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. By attending an in-person program at The New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold The New York Public Library, its Trustees, officers, agent and employees liable for any illness or injury. If you have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or suspect you have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, please stay home.

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