From Family to Archive:

A Personal Collection Joins the Obsidian Library

When I started at The Obsidian Collection Archives, it felt like a homecoming. I had just returned to the States after several years abroad teaching English to children in China, South Korea, and Thailand. As much as I loved that experience, I missed being rooted in Black art, Black culture, and Black stories. As a proud graduate of Hampton University, an HBCU that shaped my identity and my purpose, I was excited to reconnect with that world in a deeper way. I’ve been with The Obsidian Collection since day one, and over the years I’ve seen some incredible additions to our archive, but few as personal and powerful as this one.

Recently, actor and author Michael Fosberg donated 128 incredible art and coffee table books to our growing library. These books aren’t just about Black culture—they come from it, are shaped by it, and are handed down through generations of one remarkable Black family.

Gallery: Inside the Fosberg Collection

Take a look at nine covers from the newly added books in our library. They represent the power and pride of Black artistry, design, and storytelling. Each one offers a different view of who we are and how we’ve expressed that through time.

Michael’s name might be familiar. He’s the creator and performer of Incognito, a one-man autobiographical play about discovering his Black identity as an adult. His story, and his career, are all about identity, truth, and what it means to belong. And that shows in this collection, which he inherited from his father.

Michael told us the books came from a long line of family historians. His grandfather Roy A. Woods was head of the Science and Engineering Department at Norfolk State University (yes, another HBCU!). Roy’s grandfather fought in the 54th Colored Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. Michael’s grandmother? She saved her father’s Negro League baseball contract and pretty much everything else tied to their family’s past. So, it’s no surprise that Michael became the keeper of the flame.

When he donated the books, he said something that really profound:

"This collection is literally and figuratively my family history. And to be able to share that brings me great pride and joy, knowing others may find their own family paths within the pages of these books."

Three generations, one powerful legacy. Michael Fosberg (right), his father, and his grandfather—each a chapter in the story that lives on through this special book collection.

As someone who catalogs most of the books that enter The Obsidian Collection, I’ve had the honor of going through each one of these titles. We’ve already cataloged over 90 percent of them. The range is amazing—Black photography, art, architecture, music, politics, and more. These books will live on in our digital library and, eventually, will be available to the public for reading and research.

When we asked Mr. Fosberg why he chose Obsidian as the home for his father’s library, he said:

"The Obsidian Collection is dedicated to preserving the African American and Black legacy to give others an opportunity to learn and grow from our collective pasts. I hope this collection will offer others a meaningful way into their pasts as well."

That’s the mission. That’s why we do this. And it means the world to me that someone like Michael Fosberg sees our work as worthy of preserving his family’s story.

We’re proud to share this beautiful collection and can’t wait to open it up to the world.