Carver Federal Savings Bank to Establish Scholarship Fund for Schomburg Center’s Junior Scholars Program

September 15—The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is pleased to announce an endowment gift of $50,000 from Carver Federal Savings Bank. The endowment will support the Schomburg’s Center Junior Scholar’s program, providing scholarships to the students and establishing an annual Richard T. Greene, Sr. Leadership Talk.

 

Founded in 1948 by Mr. Greene, Carver Bank served as the foremost financial institution for African-American communities whose residents, businesses, and institutions had limited access to mainstream financial services. Today, Carver is the largest African-American operated bank in the United States, with ten branches in New York City.  

"We are pleased to establish this endowment to support the Schomburg Center's Junior Scholars Program, which, like Carver Federal Savings Bank, has served as a cornerstone in the Harlem community for many years,” says Richard Greene, Jr., Chair of the Carver Scholarship Fund. “The program is one of the hallmarks of the Schomburg Center and we at the Carver Bank believe in the importance of investing in our future. We look forward to continuing what we know will be a fruitful, rewarding partnership between Carver Bank and the Schomburg. "

The Schomburg Center, located in Harlem, New York, a research division of the New York Public Library, is considered one of the leading repositories of African diasporic artifacts in the world. The Center’s esteemed Junior Scholars Program is a college-preparatory Saturday academy that invites 125 youth, ages 11 to 18, to explore American and global history through the lens of the Schomburg’s vast collections, annual exhibitions, and educational resources. Founded in 2002, the flagship program builds students’ core literacy, research, and critical-thinking skills to cultivate a lifelong commitment to historical literacy, the arts and civic engagement.

“As a research center, the Schomburg serves as an invaluable resource and institution for scholars, historians, educators, and everyday patrons who seek to learn more about African diasporic culture,” says Schomburg director Dr. Khalil Gibran Muhammad. “As such, it is our responsibility to provide an inspiring environment that will encourage the world’s next generation of greatest thinkers, professionals and civic leaders. We are thankful for the Carver Bank’s investment and partnership to allow young scholars an opportunity to dream and build a bright future.”

Deirdre L. Hollman, Director of Education and The Junior Scholars Program echoes similar sentiments: “We are am extremely grateful to the Carver Scholarship Fund for their endowment gift that will help sustain the Junior Scholars Program for years to come, and simultaneously support our college-bound seniors with scholarships based on their leadership and achievements. We are proud to launch the Richard T. Greene, Sr. Leadership Talk in the Spring of 2015 to extend the impact of the gift and to annually inspire hundreds of teens be bold architects of their futures."

​For more information, please contact: Adenike Olanrewaju; adenikeolanrewaju@nypl.org; 212-592-7008

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a research unit of The New York Public Library, is generally recognized as one of the leading institutions of its kind in the world. For over 80 years the Center has collected, preserved, and provided access to materials documenting black life, and promoted the study and interpretation of the history and culture of peoples of African descent.  Educational and Cultural Programs at the Schomburg Center complement its research services and interpret its collections. Seminars, forums, workshops, staged readings, film screenings, performing arts programs, and special events are presented year-round.  More information about Schomburg’s collections and programs can be found at www.schomburgcenter.org. 

New York Public Library

The New York Public Library was created in 1895 with the consolidation of the private libraries of John Jacob Astor and James Lenox with the Samuel Jones Tilden Trust. The Library provides free and open access to its physical and electronic collections and information, as well as to its services. Its renowned research collections are located in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street; The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center; the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem; and the Science, Industry and Business Library at 34th Street and Madison Avenue. Eighty-seven branch libraries provide access to circulating collections and a wide range of other services in neighborhoods throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. Research and circulating collections combined total more than 50 million items. In addition, each year the Library presents thousands of exhibitions and public programs, which include classes in technology, literacy, and English for speakers of other languages.  All in all The New York Public Library serves more than 18 million patrons who come through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at www.nypl.org.