This collection of newspaper articles, periodicals, books, speeches, pamphlets and documents focuses on Black leaders in American history, such as Benjamin Banneker, Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Frederick Douglass, Robert Smalls, Harriet Tubman, and many others. The collection also highlights Black leaders in the fields of technology, music, theater, literature, and politics, as well as the evolution of the Black university.

Consisting of 13 reels of 35mm microfilm, coverage dates range from 1634 to 1963, with most content from the mid 1800's to early 1900's. The collection draws on content from the New York Public Library.