Collection depicts persons of African descent who have immigrated to the United States, mainly during the 20th century. The bulk of the collection was brought together for the exhibition "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor...?: Voluntary Black Migration to the United States," organized by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in 1986. Depictions of African American migrants within the United States are limited. The collection consists of individual and group portraits of immigrants, most of whom came from the Caribbean region; portraits of immigrants who became notable figures in the United States; views of immigrants being processed; immigrants being naturalized; views of services and businesses in a neighborhood where immigrants have settled; and views of United States immigration officials and law enforcement officers. Also included are reproductions of nineteenth century documents, street scenes, and a battle scene; a map depicting Black migration in the United States (ca. 1916-1917); a view of a gravesite; and a view of a sculpture of a fictional literary character.Of note are views of language classes for Haitian refugees and depictions of Haitian-owned businesses in Brooklyn (ca. 1980); group portraits of Guadeloupian women at the immigration station on Ellis Island, New York City (ca. 1911); views of immigration patrol officers inspecting immigrant documentation and conducting searches (1964-1967); and group portraits of naturalized immigrants, including servicemen, taking loyalty oaths (n.d.). Among the notable immigrants depicted are diseuse and actress Eusebia Cosme (Cuba), nineteenth century New Orleans civic leader and philanthropist Arthur Esteves (Haiti), president of Brooklyn's West Indian American Day Carnival Association Carlos Lezama (Venezuela), diplomat and educator Elliot P. Skinner (Trinidad), and writer and anthropologist Ivan Van Sertima (British Guiana).
Content: Some photographs bear photographer's or institution's handstamp. Some items bear handwritten notations; some items bear printed captions on recto; some items bear printed captions attached to verso. One item cropped; some items are duplicates.
Content: Collection contains work by Dan Chokel, Philip Decker, and Taupier Studio, among others.
Publications: Exhibition catalogue Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor...?: Voluntary Black Migration to the United States. New York : New York Public Library, 1986.
Exhibitions: Many of these images were gathered for the exhibition "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor...?: Voluntary Black Migration to the United States," organized by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 1986.