In an email interview, she was thankful for the “oxygen” that working at the library has provided — and for bringing her to know the poet Sonia Sanchez. SCOTT HELLER
What books are on your night stand?
On my dresser are “Atomic Habits,” by James Clear, “Do One Thing Every Day That Makes You Happy,” by Robie Rogge and Dian G. Smith, and the Bible (New International Version). I try not to have books directly related to work in my rest space. And, I was raised in a home where Bibles were readily available; it remains a very important book for me.
What kind of reader were you as a child? Which childhood books and authors stick with you most?
I don’t think there was anything exceptional about my reading life as a child, except I was obsessed with really big words. My mother taught me to read before kindergarten by writing a book for me. I wish I could find it. I liked to read fairy tales but I also read Bible stories. Like I said, Bibles were around when I grew up.
Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how).
I like quiet, comfortable and preferably naturally lit spaces for reading. It doesn’t really matter much where, as long as those criteria are met.
It’s one thing to love books. It’s another to be at an institution whose reason for being is under attack. Did you count on being both?
One of the things that I’ve learned, especially through reading in the field of Black Studies, is that Black intellectual traditions are generally shaped in resistance. I don’t think that when you make your living celebrating and/or centering communities that are often on the margins, you have the luxury of imagining that there won’t be periods of struggle. It is what makes the work important and what those who conceived the Schomburg remarkable.
What’s a lesser known book from Arturo Schomburg’s original collection that more people should know about?
His incomplete/unpublished cookbook probably surprises me most. However, it really shouldn’t be surprising that he thought foodways were an example of Black genius as much as any other cultural artifact.
At a centennial event, you said “it feels as though the words that have been critical to my own intellectual and emotional development have breath in this place.” Tell me what you mean.
I was speaking to the importance of Schomburg to my own development beyond the fact that I am a staff member and leader. I have been involved in telling and/or interpreting Black history for much of my career and this place has provided oxygen for others like me for a century.
Is there a hidden spot inside the Schomburg you find particularly inspiring?
It’s not really hidden but, as a research library, our stacks are not public. When I tell you I could spend all my time there, I am not exaggerating. It really is inspiring to see volumes from all of the over the Black diaspora about EVERYTHING. It reminds me that information and knowledge are boundless. It inspires and humbles me.
If you could require New York’s next mayor to read one book, what would it be?
“Strength to Love,” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Transformative leadership, at the end of the day, requires love as a core value.
What’s the last great book you read?
I’ll name two. “The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma,” by Bessel van der Kolk, and “Homegoing,” by Yaa Gyasi. I was late to “Homegoing” but found it extremely compelling.
What’s the best book you’ve ever received as a gift?
A good friend gave me Pema Chödrön’s “Comfortable With Uncertainty,” and I found it extremely helpful during a particularly challenging phase in my life.
Have you ever gotten in trouble for reading a book?
I have yet to get in trouble for reading a book.
You’re organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?
This is tough, and at the risk of being somewhat predictable, I’d invite Toni Morrison and Octavia Butler, who I never had the opportunity to meet, and Sonia Sanchez, who I have come to know and love since being at the Schomburg. I think this would be a mighty fine party.
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