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
Northwestern University Archives
Northwestern’s Archives houses and provides access to records, publications, and photographs related to its history. The McCormick Library of Special Collections has materials related to Ronald Fair, Richard Wright, Amiri Baraka, and Ira Aldridge. The Herskovits Library of African Studies has a large collection of papers, photographs, and posters covering topics like the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and the African Studies Association. Northwestern’s libraries are currently open by appointment for University students, faculty, and staff only. Accessibility options at this repository include ramps, elevators, automatic doors, quiet study areas with lighting adjustments, wheelchair-accessible toilets, braille on signage, closed-captioning for videos, and text-to-voice software. Here's a link for more accessibility information. Learn more about the McCormick Library and about the Herskovits Library on the Northwestern Library sites.
View collections from Northwestern University ArchivesAbout 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.