Music

The Black Music History Library is a digital collection of books, articles, documentaries, series, podcasts and more about the Black origins of traditional and popular music.

Founded in 2020 by NYU Gallatin alumna Jenzia Burgos, BMHL was born out of a need to make resources about Black music history as comprehensive and accessible as possible. This online library considers the term “Black music” widely to include any instance in which the participation of Black folks led to the creation or innovation of music across the diaspora. As a result, visitors can expect to find resources for just about every genre on BMHL—including those in which the contributions of Black artists have often been minimized or omitted from traditional accounts of music history. BMHL continues to be updated and expanded to this day.