Langston Hughes Community Library and Cultural Center houses New York City’s most extensive circulating Black Heritage reading collection, inclusive of the extraordinary works by Langston Hughes. Since the ceremonial opening in April 1969, the library has hosted such luminaries as historian John Henrik Clarke, poet Nikki Giovanni, educator Betty Shabazz, artist Tom Feelings, playwright August Wilson, and author Walter Mosley.

The Black Heritage Reference Center (BHRC) of Queens serves Queens County with a comprehensive reference and circulating collection covering every conceivable aspect of the Black experience.

This auspicious collection places emphasis on the study of the African American and African diasporic experience, including those geographic areas where African Americans have lived in significant numbers, including West Africa, South America, the Caribbean, Canada, and the United States.

The Center’s collection contains print and non-print materials, including books, films, videos, periodicals, theses and dissertations, and the WPA Slave Narratives, all relating to Black history and culture. In addition, the BHRC holds a microfilm and microfiche collection of Black periodicals, Black newspapers, and the Schomburg clipping file.

The BHRC offers cultural arts programming, film series, author talks and readings, dramatic performances, and live music performance. In addition, the annual Literary Arts Festival and the film series “Curator’s Choice” are two critical educative programs that capture large audiences for their entertainment value at the Reference Center.

The BHRC exists to preserve Black culture and heritage, and to promote and support the study of Black history and culture. The BHRC “serves as a deterrent against cultural deprivation, historical misconceptions, misinformation, and image distortion” (Jackson and Strong)