About This event
Join us for an evening exploring The New Brownies' Book with its creators scholar Karida L. Brown and award-winning artist Charly Palmer, and invited guests. The New Brownies’ Book reimagines the very first publication created for African American children in 1920. The conversation will be moderated by M. Scott Johnson, a sculptor and visual arts instructor for the Schomburg Center’s Junior Scholars Program.

HISTORICAL LEGACY: In 1920, W. E. B. Du Bois and the founders of the NAACP published The Brownies’ Book: A Monthly Magazine for Children of the Sun, which included art, stories, letters, and activities to inspire children, share Black history, and celebrate their identities. As the first periodical for African American youth, this was an important work in the history of children’s literature. The New Brownies’ Book revives its mission to inspire the young readers of today.

The Schomburg Center's Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books division features an original set of the 1920-21 The Brownies’ Book: A Monthly Magazine for Children of the Sun. Learn more here.

GET THE BOOK
Copies of The New Brownies' Book will be available for purchase from the Schomburg Shop in Harlem.

ABOUT THE NEW BROWNIES' BOOK

"A monthly magazine for children of the sun."- Edited by W.E.B. DuBois.
Inspired by the groundbreaking work of W. E. B. Du Bois, this beautiful collection brings together an outstanding roster of Black creative voices to honor, celebrate, and foster Black excellence.

The New Brownies' Book reimagines the very first publication created for African American children in 1920 as a must-have anthology for a new generation. Expanding on the mission of the original periodical to inspire the hearts and minds of Black children across the country, esteemed scholar Karida L. Brown and award-winning artist Charly Palmer have gathered the work of more than fifty contemporary Black artists and writers.