Q & A: Did You Know?

Did you know

Highlights from 30 Years at the Center

The Center introduced New York City to dozens of renowned international artists.
Artists and groups first brought to New York by the Center include:

  • Ile Aiye
  • Yoruba Andabo
  • Beth Calvallo
  • Gilberto Gil
  • Filhos de Handhi
  • Los Van Van
  • Zeze Motta
  • Los Munequitos de Matanzas
  • Mercedes Valdez
  • Jelon Viera/Dance Brazil

The Center was the first NYC organization to focus on developing, producing, and presenting the work of visual and performing artists from Diasporic traditions.
Artists who have been presented, celebrated, and nurtured by the Center include:

  • Harry Belafonte
  • Marie Brooks/Children’s Dance Theater
  • Cheryl Byron/Something Positive
  • Celia Cruz
  • Katherine Dunham
  • Fred Ho
  • Queen Latifah
  • Los Pleneros de la 21
  • David Medina
  • Rosie Perez
  • Max Roach
  • Manny Vega

The Center has helped dozens of organizations encourage and serve multi-cultural audiences.
Partnership organizations have included:

  • American Museum of Natural History
  • Bronx Museum of the Arts
  • Brooklyn Academy of Music
  • Carnegie Hall
  • Lincoln Center
  • The Schomburg Center
  • Queens Theater in the Park
  • Town Hall

The Center has had a measurable impact on the political, economic, and social well-being of our communities, spurring ongoing influential movements.
Organizations that have been founded and nurtured by the Center include:

  • GALCI: Global Afro-Latino Caribbean Initiative
    (now at Hunter)
  • International Hip-Hop Exchange
  • MXGM: Malcolm X Grassroots Movement
  • NCCC: Network of Cultural Centers of Color
    (independent)
  • The Roundtable of Institutions of Color
    (now at New York University)

The Center’s archive and resources have served legendary scholars, leaders, and activists.
Award-winning scholars and community leaders who have studied at The Center include:

  • Monifa Akinwole
  • MariNieves Alba
  • John Henrik Clarke
  • Omar Friella
  • Carlos Moore
  • Rex Nettleford
  • Bernice Johnson Reagon
  • David Paul Robeson
  • Regent Adelaide Sanford
  • Susan Taylor
  • Robert Farris Thompson