Who is arthur schomburg

During this time, he actively supported Cuban and Puerto Rican Independence, and served as secretary of Las dos Antillas, an organization working for this cause. In , while in Europe, he searched for and acquired valuable information on Negro history. In Seville, Spain he dug into the original, loosely collected records of the Indies and was able to shed new light on Negro history.

In Schomburg retired from the Bankers Trust Company and took a position at Fisk University as curator of his vast collection of papers, which now bears his name. Virgin Islands. Schomburg grew up in Puerto Rico.

He remembered a teacher telling him as a schoolboy in San Juan that there were no notable people of African descent and that Black history held no achievements. The incident sparked what would become his lifelong interest in collecting materials about the Black experience around the world.

Thomas College in the Danish Virgin Islands. In , at the age of 17, Schomburg moved to New York City. Over the next few years his jobs included elevator operator, bellhop and printer. At night he took classes at Manhattan Central High. He was initiated into the Freemasons in A primary focus for Schomburg during this period was independence from Spain for Puerto Rico and Cuba.

Following this, the Puerto Rican independence movement lost momentum , and Schomburg's political club disbanded. Schomburg spent much of his life acquiring books, documents, pamphlets, artwork and more tied to Africa's diaspora in the Americas and Europe. His aim was "to preserve the historical records of the race, arouse race consciousness and race pride, inspire art students and give information to everyone about the Negro.

Schomburg's search was conducted by going to rare book stores, contacting book dealers in Europe and reaching out to people across the United States. Do you find this information helpful? A small donation would help us keep this accessible to all. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone!

Diouf, S. At the same time, he passionately amassed historical documents that included books, prints, pamphlets, and articles produced by Africans in the Americas and in Europe. Then known as the Arthur A. His curated library collection emphasized the presence of African peoples and their descendants throughout the Americas and would serve as an indispensable resource for the luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance, including Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston and other greats.

Before leaving Fisk, he had established a distinguished collection of Negro works very similar to his own. In , he returned home to serve as curator of his collection at the NYPL. Schomburg was married three times and, interestingly enough, all three wives were named Elizabeth. In , he married his first wife, Elizabeth Hatcher, known by her middle name, Bessie.