Diversity in Music

Established in 1991, the Archives of African American Music and Culture (AAAMC) is a repository of materials covering a range of African American musical idioms and cultural expressions from the post-World War II era. Our collections highlight popular, religious, and classical music, with genres ranging from blues and gospel to R&B and contemporary hip hop. The AAAMC also houses extensive materials related to the documentation of Black radio.
The AAAMC supports the research of scholars, students, and the general public worldwide by providing access to holdings which include oral histories, photographs, musical and print manuscripts, audio and video recordings, educational broadcast programs, and the personal papers of individuals and organizations concerned with Black music. We also invite exploration of our collections and related topics through a variety of public events, print and online publications, and pedagogical resources.

The Center for Black Music Research's mission is to illuminate the significant role that black music plays in world culture by serving as a nexus for all who value black music, promoting scholarly thought and knowledge about black music, and providing a safe haven for the materials and information that document the black music experience across Africa and the diaspora.