1. Historical Tribute: Arturo Alfonso Schomburg

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    The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture strives to continuously spread the seed of knowledge to our community.

    In honor of Puerto Rico’s Emancipation Day (Día de la Abolición de Esclavitud—March 22, 1873), we are honoring an important historian, scholar, and activist who was a central figure in collecting and preserving the artifacts, and the experiences and culture of the black Diaspora during the Harlem Renaissance, and whose collections contributed to the foundation of our research center—Mr. Arturo Alfonso Schomburg (1874-1938).

    Arturo Alfonso Schomburg was born on January 24, 1874 in the Spanish colony of Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico to a black West Indian mother and a German immigrant father.  In 1891, Schomburg migrated to New York where he became involved with the nationalist intellectuals of the Cuban and Puerto Rican communities, and later black internationalism.

    Mr. Schomburg was a scholar, historian, author, and activist in the United States, and his vast collection of black history and culture was purchased in 1926 by the Schomburg Library in Harlem, New York.  The library was named after Mr. Schomburg in October 1972, in honor of his commitment to collecting and documenting Black contributions to the world.  Today the Schomburg Center possesses one of the richest collections on black history.

    For an in-depth biography of Mr. Arthur Schomburg and his experiences and contributions visit here.

  2. Arturo Alfonso Schomburg (January 24, 1874-June 8, 1938), bibliophile, collector, writer, and a key intellectual figure in the Harlem Renaissance, spent his life championing black history. Born in Puerto Rico to María Josefa, a freeborn black midwife from St. Croix, and Carlos Féderico Schomburg, a merchant of German and Taino heritage, Schomburg migrated to New York City in 1891. Shortly after arriving, he co-founded Las Dos Antillas (The Two Islands), which sent aid for the independence cause in Puerto Rico and Cuba. Moving to Harlem and later Brooklyn, Schomburg is best known for his worldwide collection of literature, documents, manuscripts, and art and artifacts from and about the black world.The New York Public Library purchased his vast collection in 1926. Today, the Schomburg Center is home to 10 million items. Join us tomorrow as we celebrate the birthday of our founder. For more information, click here.

    Arturo Alfonso Schomburg (January 24, 1874-June 8, 1938), bibliophile, collector, writer, and a key intellectual figure in the Harlem Renaissance, spent his life championing black history.

    Born in Puerto Rico to María Josefa, a freeborn black midwife from St. Croix, and Carlos Féderico Schomburg, a merchant of German and Taino heritage, Schomburg migrated to New York City in 1891.

    Shortly after arriving, he co-founded Las Dos Antillas (The Two Islands), which sent aid for the independence cause in Puerto Rico and Cuba. Moving to Harlem and later Brooklyn, Schomburg is best known for his worldwide collection of literature, documents, manuscripts, and art and artifacts from and about the black world.The New York Public Library purchased his vast collection in 1926. Today, the Schomburg Center is home to 10 million items.

    Join us tomorrow as we celebrate the birthday of our founder. For more information, click here.