Arturo Alfonso Schomburg

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Arturo Alfonso Schomburg 1

Arturo Alfonso Schomburg



Born January 24, 1874

Santurce, Puerto Rico

Died June 8, 1938

Brooklyn, New York

Nationality Puerto Rican

Political movement Harlem Renaissance movement

Spouse Elizabeth Morrow Taylor

Notes

Schomburg, also known as Arthur Schomburg, took an active role advocating Puerto Rico's independence.

Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, a.k.a. as Arthur Schomburg, (January 24, 1874 June 8, 1938), was a Puerto Rican

historian, writer, and activist in the United States who researched and raised awareness of the great contributions that

Afro-Latin Americans and Afro-Americans have made to society. He was an important intellectual figure in the

Harlem Renaissance. Over the years, he collected literature, art, slave narratives, and other materials of African

history, which was purchased to become the basis of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, named in

his honor, at the New York Public Library (NYPL) branch in Harlem.

Early years

Schomburg was born in the town of Santurce, Puerto Rico (now part of San Juan) to Mara Josefa,[1]

a freeborn black

midwife from St. Croix, and Carlos Fderico Schomburg, a merchant of German heritage.

While Schomburg was in grade school, one of his teachers claimed that blacks had no history, heroes or

accomplishments. Inspired to prove the teacher wrong, Schomburg determined that he would find and document the

accomplishments of Africans on their own continent and in the diaspora, including Afro-Latinos, such as Jose

Campeche, and later Afro-Americans. Schomburg was educated at San Juan's Instituto Popular, where he learned

commercial printing. At St. Thomas College in the Danish-ruled Virgin Islands, he studied Negro Literature.[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Virgin_Islandshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St._Thomas_College_%28Virgin_Islands%29http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jose_Campechehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jose_Campechehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St._Croixhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Midwifehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=San_Juan%2C_Puerto_Ricohttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Santurce%2C_Puerto_Ricohttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harlem%2C_New_Yorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_York_Public_Libraryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Schomburg_Center_for_Research_in_Black_Culturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Slave_narrativeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harlem_Renaissancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Puerto_Rican_citizenshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Puerto_Rican_citizenshiphttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_Yorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brooklynhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Santurce%2C_Puerto_Ricohttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Schomburg.jpg


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The Schomburg Collection of Negro Literature and Art

After the NYPL purchased his extensive collection of literature, art and other materials in 1926, they appointed

Schomburg curator of the Schomburg Collection of Negro Literature and Art, named in his honor, at the 135th Street

Branch (Harlem) of the Library. It was later renamed the Arthur Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.[4]

Between 1931 and 1932 Schomburg served as Curator of the Negro Collection at the library of Fisk University,

Nashville, Tennessee, helping direct their acquisition of materials. During 1932 he traveled to Cuba. While there he

met various Cuban artists and writers, and acquired more material for his studies.

He was granted an honorary membership of the Men's Business Club in Yonkers, New York. He also held the

position of treasurer for the Loyal Sons of Africa in New York and was elevated being the past master of Prince Hall

Lodge Number 38, Free and Accepted Masons (F.A.M.) and Rising Sun Chapter Number 4, R.A.M.

Later years

Following dental surgery, Schomburg became ill and died in Madison Park Hospital, Brooklyn, New York on June

8, 1938. He was buried in Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn.[2]

Legacy

By the 1920s Schomburg had amassed a world-renowned collection which consisted of artworks, manuscripts, rare

books, slave narratives and other artifacts of Black history.[5]

In 1926 the New York Public Library purchased his

collection for $10,000 with the help of a grant from the Carnegie Corporation. The collection formed the cornerstone

of the Library's Division of Negro History at its 135th Street Branch in Harlem. The library appointed Schomburg

curator of the collection, which was named in his honor: the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

Schomburg used his proceeds from the sale to fund travel to Spain, France, Germany and England, to seek out more

pieces of black history to add to the collection.[6]

In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante named Schomburg to his list

of 100 Greatest African Americans.

[7]

To honor Schomburg, Hampshire College awards a $30,000 merit-based scholarship in his name for students who

"demonstrate promise in the areas of strong academic performance and leadership at Hampshire College and in the

community."[8]

Arturo Alfonso Schomburg's work served as an inspiration to Puerto Ricans, Latinos and Afro-American alike. The

power of knowing about the great contribution that Afro-Latin Americans and Afro-American have made to society,

helped continuing work and future generations in the Civil rights movement.[5]

References

[1] Robert Knight, "Arthur Alfonso 'Afroborinqueno' Schomburg" (http://www. cwo.com/~lucumi/schomburg.html), History Notes, Global

African Community, accessed 2 Feb 2009

[2] "Arturo Alfonso Schomburg: Pionero en la historia afronorteamericana" (http://www.pww.org/past-weeks-2001/Arturo Alfonso

Schomburg.htm),Nuestro Mondo/People's Weekly World, accessed 2 Feb 2009

[3] Arthur Schomburg, "The Negro Digs Up His Past" (http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/harlem/SchNegrF.html), The Survey Graphic, Harlem:

March 1925, University of Virginia Library, accessed 2 Feb 2009

[4] Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience (http://ssbe.chadwyck.com/home/home.do), New York Public Library

[5] The Arthur A. Schomburg Papers (http://www.lexisnexis.com/academic/guides/african_american/manusc_coll_schomburg/schomburg.

asp)

[6] NYPL, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (http://www.nypl. org/research/sc/sc. html)

[7][7] Asante, Molefi Kete (2002). 100 Greatest African Americans: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Amherst, New York. Prometheus Books. ISBN

1-57392-963-8.

[8] http://www.aie.org/Scholarships/?StartRow=241&q=performance&SearchType=1
http://www.aie.org/Scholarships/?StartRow=241&q=performance&SearchType=1http://www.aie.org/Scholarships/?StartRow=241&q=performance&SearchType=1http://www.nypl.org/research/sc/sc.htmlhttp://www.lexisnexis.com/academic/guides/african_american/manusc_coll_schomburg/schomburg.asphttp://www.lexisnexis.com/academic/guides/african_american/manusc_coll_schomburg/schomburg.asphttp://ssbe.chadwyck.com/home/home.dohttp://etext.lib.virginia.edu/harlem/SchNegrF.htmlhttp://www.pww.org/past-weeks-2001/Arturo%20Alfonso%20Schomburg.htmhttp://www.pww.org/past-weeks-2001/Arturo%20Alfonso%20Schomburg.htmhttp://www.cwo.com/~lucumi/schomburg.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Civil_rights_movementhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Afro-Latin_Americanshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Afro-Americanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Latinoshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Puerto_Rican_Americanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hampshire_Collegehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=100_Greatest_African_Americanshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Molefi_Kete_Asantehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Schomburg_Center_for_Research_in_Black_Culturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harlemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_York_Public_Libraryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black_historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Slave_narrativeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brooklynhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cypress_Hills_Cemeteryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_Yorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brooklynhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prince_Hallhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_Yorkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yonkershttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cubanshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nashville%2C_Tennesseehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fisk_University


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Further reading

First Lady Named for Aid to Negroes (New York Times: 1940-02-14) (http://search.proquest.com/docview/

105150495)

External links

Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience (http://ssbe.chadwyck.com/home/home. do)

Schomburg (Arthur A.) Papers, 1724-1895 (1904-1938) (http://digilib.nypl.org/dynaweb/ead/scm/scmgaasp/

@Generic__BookTextView/163;pt=163#X), New York Public Library

"Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture" (http://www.nypl.org/research/sc/sc.html), New York

Public Library

"The Arthur A. Schomburg Papers" (http://www.lexisnexis.com/academic/guides/african_american/

manusc_coll_schomburg/schomburg.asp)

"Schomburg Museum" (http://www.nyalumnikapsi.org/nya/museum. html), Kappa Alpha Psi history
http://www.nyalumnikapsi.org/nya/museum.htmlhttp://www.lexisnexis.com/academic/guides/african_american/manusc_coll_schomburg/schomburg.asphttp://www.lexisnexis.com/academic/guides/african_american/manusc_coll_schomburg/schomburg.asphttp://www.nypl.org/research/sc/sc.htmlhttp://digilib.nypl.org/dynaweb/ead/scm/scmgaasp/@Generic__BookTextView/163;pt=163#Xhttp://digilib.nypl.org/dynaweb/ead/scm/scmgaasp/@Generic__BookTextView/163;pt=163#Xhttp://ssbe.chadwyck.com/home/home.dohttp://search.proquest.com/docview/105150495http://search.proquest.com/docview/105150495


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Article Sources and Contributors 5

Article Sources and ContributorsArturo Alfonso Schomburg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=476480384 Contributors: AbigailAbernathy, Alansohn, Angela, AntonioMartin, Barticus88, Bergsten,

BobJones77, Brookie, C2vball7, CARLMART, CanisRufus, C bustapeck, Colonies Chris, D6, DO'Neil, Dawi, Dommccas, DoxTxob, Ehhviin, G Clark, Gadfium, Gaius Cornelius, Heru2010,

Jonxwood, Kelly Martin, Lawrlafo, Ling.Nut, Marine 69-71, Maximus Rex, Mlpearc, Moebiusuibeom-en, Mtmelendez, Mynameinc, NYIsles4, Parkwells, Philip Trueman, Phillipedison1891,

Prpolicy, Quazgaa, R'n'B, Ralvarad, RemoTheDog, Stormie, The wub, ThePromenader, Themidwestprincess, Timrollpickering, Who, Zenitram82, 58 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsFile:Schomburg.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Schomburg.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Damiens.rf, Kameraad Pjotr, Kenmayer, Marine 69-71,

Quazgaa, Urban, 1 anonymous edits

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