In celebration of the In The Life Archive (ITLA), housed at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, ITLA 2.0 has curated a digital exhibition honoring the 25th anniversary of the archival initiative and how ITLA 2.0 continues to build on this important work.

Portrait of Steven G Fullwood, curator/founder of the In the Life Archive, formally known as the Black Gay and Lesbian Archive. Fullwood established the ITLA in 1999. Today, the ITLA is the largest collection of Black Queer material in the country.

Portrait by Keyon Monte (Missouri) Illustrator/ Playwright/ Contemporary Artist

ZINE

Founded in 1925 and named a National Historic Landmark in 2017, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is one of the world’s leading cultural institutions devoted to the research, preservation, and exhibition of materials focused on African American, African Diaspora, and African experiences. As a research center of The New York Public Library, the Schomburg Center features diverse programming and collections spanning over 11 million items that illuminate the richness of global black history, arts, and culture.

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1925 - 2025

Origins

ON BUILDING THE ARCHIVE

Shortly after the BGLA was established as a project, Fullwood began collecting materials for the archive. He initially contacted individuals he knew personally—academics, artists, activists, organization leaders and others—inquiring about their papers or organizations’ records, as well as identifying public figures via the Internet and contacting them directly to announce the project.

Throughout his travels for the project, Fullwood purchased or accepted donations of books, music, and films, and collected ephemera—conference journals, flyers, hand cards, posters, press releases, and other items.

Fullwood also promoted the archival initiative, organizing events and seeking opportunities to advertise the BGLA, first through a website (stevengfullwood.org) and a printed brochure, and later through public events.

While most ITLA events took place at the Schomburg Center or other New York venues such as the CUNY and People of Color in Crisis, Fullwood participated in panels, gave collection presentations, and curated exhibitions at AIDS service organizations, colleges and universities, community-based organizations, conferences, and writers’ festivals, locally, nationally, and internationally.

Cities include Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Providence, St. Louis, and Fullwood’s hometown, Toledo.

Internationally, Fullwood traveled to London, England, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Paramaribo, Suriname to share information about the project.

Venues and include the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Black Gay Research Summit, Brown University, Black Pride NYC, Columbia University, DC Black Pride, Drexel University, Fire & Ink, Inc., Fort Zeelandia, Museum of Docklands, National Archives of Suriname, New York University, Princeton University, Rainbow Book Fair, Scribe Video, Smith College, UCLA, University of Suriname, University of Toledo, Westfield State College, William Way Cultural Center, and Yale University.