BMRC ARCHIVES PORTAL
Discover Collections on Black Experiences
Discover the unique collections on Black experiences freely available to you in libraries, museums, archives, and other organizations in the Chicago area, through the Black Metropolis Research Consortium (BMRC) Archives Portal.
CHOOSE YOUR PORTAL PATH: Use keywords in the search box at the top of the page, browse a category, or click on one of the boxes BELOW: Curated Topic, online exhibit, or the "Try a Term" feature, where a new topic, place, or person appears when you refresh or re-visit this page.
Look for location and contact information on the collection finding aids/guides to find your way to the archives.
Learn more about the project or consult our Research Help.
Member Highlight
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago's Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center is the repository for the University’s rare books, manuscripts, University Archives, and Chicago Jazz Archives. Black collection strengths at the SCRC include the Ida B. Wells Papers, the ACLU Illinois Records, the Hyde Park Historical Society Collection, and the Alton Abraham Collection of Sun Ra. The SCRC is currently open by appointment to University students, faculty, and staff only. Accessibility options at the SCRC include ramps, elevators, automatic doors, and low height counters and wheelchair-accessible research tables. Learn more about the vastvariety of materials available on the SCRC's main page.
View collections from University of ChicagoAbout the BMRC
The Black Metropolis Research Consortium (BMRC) is a Chicago-based membership association of libraries, universities, museums, community/arts organizations and other archival institutions. The BMRC’s mission is to connect all who seek to document, share, understand and preserve Black experiences.
It is the vision of the BMRC to be essential to promoting discovery, preservation, and use of Black historical collections. Through consortial programs, the BMRC aids in expanding broad access to its members’ holdings of materials that document African American and African diasporic culture, history, and politics, with a specific focus on materials relating to Chicago.