The Great Arturo Schomburg: Why Are We Celebrating Him Today?

By Schomburg Center\Joy L. Bivins Photos: YouTube Screenhsots\Wikimedia Commons Today, we mark an incredible anniversary: our founder Arturo Alfonso Schomburg’s 150th birthday. Born on this day in Puerto Rico in 1874, Arturo Schomburg was a scholar, historian, curator, and collector, who wondered as a child why African history wasn’t taught in the classroom. He made it his life’s work to collect evidence of Black people’s contributions to the Caribbean, the Americas, Europe, and Africa, becoming one of the world’s foremost collectors of Black literature, slave narratives, artwork, and other objects. On the 150th anniversary of Arturo Schomburg’s birth, will you join us in our celebration? Make your first-ever contribution today, to celebrate Arturo Schomburg’s birthday. Your gift will honor his legacy and keep us going strong as we move further into the new year. For any gift of $50 or more, you’ll receive a limited-edition enamel pin you can wear to show your support for the Schomburg Center. Mr. Schomburg’s initial collection of thousands of manuscripts and artifacts from Africa and the African diaspora forms the foundation of the Schomburg Center’s current collection of more than 11 million items that attest to the richness of Black history and culture. This...