Please read my letter to Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez.

My letter explains why Arturo Alfonso Schomburg's contributions to the USA and the world makes him worthy of the Medal of Freedom.

 

Nydia Velasquez, Member

United States Congress

7th Congressional District

266 Broadway, Suite 201

Brooklyn, New York 11211

 

March 24, 2014

 

Dear Congresswoman Velasquez:

I am writing to you regarding Arturo Alfonso Schomburg to respectfully

request that he be honored posthumously with the Medal of Freedom for

his many immeasurable contributions. The world of scholarship is indebted to

Arturo Alfonso Schomburg- black bibliophile, curator and self taught historian

whose private collection formed the nucleus of what is now one of the

outstanding collections concerning the history and culture of people of African

descent. At his death he bequeathed to posterity an organic monument whose

place in history has been assured.

                           “The Negro Digs Up His Past”

Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, also known as Arthur Schomburg was born

in Santurce Puerto Rico (January 24, 1874 to June 8, 1938) As 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. In 1891,

Schomburg came to New York City where he became an activist with

the Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico, playing an integral role in

fighting for Puerto Rico and Cuba's independence from Spain. Living in

Harlem, Schomburg coined the term "afroborinqueno" to celebrate his

heritage as a Latino of African descent.

In 1918 the Schomburg family moved from Harlem to Brooklyn. Their

final residence was on Kosciusko Street. Although he lived in Brooklyn

for 20 years, Arturo Schomburg’s ties to the Harlem community

continued. Schomburg was especially involved in the budding literary

and social movement that started in Harlem and spread through black

communities across the country- “The Harlem Renaissance”.

In 1926, the New York Public Library purchased Schomburg's collection

of literature, art and other artifacts for $10,000. Schomburg was

appointed as the curator of the Schomburg Collection of Negro

Literature and Art at the 135th Street Branch of the New York Public

Library. Schomburg used the money from the sale of his collection to

add more artifacts of African history to the collection and traveled to

Spain, France, Germany, England and Cuba.

In addition to his contributions with the New York Public Library,

Schomburg was appointed curator of the Negro Collection at Fisk

University's library.

To support his family, Schomburg worked a variety of jobs--teaching

Spanish, working as a messenger and clerk in a law firm. However, his

passion was identifying artifacts that disproved the notion that people of

African descent had no history or achievements. Schomburg's first

article, "Is Hayti Decadent?" appeared in a 1904 issue of The Unique

Advertiser.In 1909, Schomburg wrote a profile on the poet and

independence fighter, Gabriel de la Concepcion Valdez entitled Placido

a Cuban Martyr.

The Harlem community, scholars of Black History and Culture and the

NYC Public Library so honored and respected Schomburg’s magnificent

contributions to Black History and Culture that they named the 135th

Street Branch after him. It is now- in his legacy of scholarship and

excellence- one of the leading public research libraries in the world.

Clearly, if there was just one Puerto Rican scholar deserving of the

Medal of Freedom, it would be Arturo Alfonso Schomburg.