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 Illinois at Chicago
UIC’s Special Collections and University Archives supports, enhances, and collaborates with the rest of the University towards their goals for education, research, and service activities. Black collection strengths at UIC include the Chicago Urban League Records, the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club Records, and the Maxwell Street Exhibition Photographs. UIC’s Special Collections and University Archives are currently open by appointment on Wednesdays from 10am-2pm for University students, faculty, and staff only. Appointments must be requested at least 72 hours in advance. Accessibility options at this repository include elevators, automatic doors, low height counters and wheelchair-accessible research tables, wheelchair-accessible toilets, braille on signage, closed-captioning for videos, and text-to-voice software. Learn more about this repository here.
View collections from University of Illinois at 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.