Arturo Schomburg Wrote Himself and Black People into History. You Can Too.
Arturo Schomburg is most known as the founder of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City, but he was also a writer, a revolutionary thinker, and an activist who used books and the written word to defy white supremacy and glorify Black excellence and achievement. Schomburg understood the power of the written word, and used it to write himself and Black people globally, into history. When historians, academics, and public intellectuals tried to erase the contributions Black people made to Western Civilization, Arturo Schomburg clapped back with his written receipts.
Arturo Alfonso Schomburg was born on January 24, 1874, in Santurce, Puerto Rico. His mother was a free Black woman, and his father, Carlos Federico Schomburg, was a first-generation Puerto Rican of German descent. An eager student, Schomburg was deeply troubled by a statement made by his fifth grade teacher in San Juan. That teacher told the class that there were no notable people of African descent worth studying and that Black history was devoid of any significant events or accomplishments. European history, on the other hand, was where all the important contributions to humantiy could be found. That incident, and that message, sparked what would become Schomburg’s lifelong commitment to proving that teacher, and his misguided and racist assessment of Black people, wrong.
In 1891, at the age of 17, Schomburg moved to New York City and quickly got involved with the independence movements in the Cuban and Puerto Rican communities. After the dissolution of both movements, Schomburg, needed to find a new purpose for his life, so he turned to the Black community in Harlem where he was living. He eagerly embraced his Black identity at that time, started calling himself Arthur instead of Arturo, and coined the term, "afroborinqueño,” to define his unique Black identity as a Black Puerto Rican.
Schomburg Becomes a Collector of Black Achievement
Despite the prevailing conditions of racial discrimination and restrictions at the turn of the century in New York City, Schomburg was able to find employment to support himself and his growing obsession with collecting Black memorabilia that showcased the proof of Black excellence. Think artifacts, books, photos, articles, newspapers, letters, and any other types of material culture that documented Black excellence from around the world. Fun fact, Arturo Schomburg had a distinctly global view of Blackness, so while he was initially focused on gathering materials from the United States, he eventually came to expand his search to all of the places where Africans had landed due to the displacement of the Trans Atlantic slave trade. In other words, Schomburg was a diasporic scholar before the term African diaspora was even a thing.
Schomburg the Writer
Arturo Schomburg, writer, author, bibliophile, historian, champion of Black Excellence. Creative Commons
By 1910, Schomburg’s collection was quite sizable and he had amassed unique artifacts that included literary treasures like original copies of Frederick Douglass’s newspaper, The North Star, and poetry collections penned by Phillis Wheatley. Despite the fact that at this time the whole of his collection was housed in his living room, in 1911, Schomburg and his friend, fellow historian John Howard Bruce established the Negro Society for Historical Research, so that other African-American writers, scholars and historians could utilize the materials. But Schomburg realized he needed to do more in order to get the word out, not about the collection, but about the brilliance of Black people that his collection showcased. And that’s when and why Schomburg started to write.
Knowing from experience that the written word was one of the best ways to disseminate information to the masses, Schomburg took up the pen and made it his mission to write as much as he could about what his collection said about the intelligence, creativity, artistry, resilience and all-around bad-assery of Black people. He wrote articles for as many Black news outlets as possible including the Negro World, The Crisis, The Messenger, Opportunity and The Amsterdam News. He also wrote a couple of books, and anthology pieces that were often published to great acclaim. In fact, it was an essay that Schomburg wrote called The Negro Digs Up his Past, that was later published in the famous anthology, The New Negro that brought him and his work to the attention of some very important people.
The Schomburg Collection
In 1926, the Carnegie Corporation purchased Schomburg's incredible collection for $10,000. (That would be approximately $178,000 in today’s money.) The materials were then donated to the New York Public Library. In 1932, the Library hired Schomburg to be the curator of the Division of Negro Literature and Art at the 135th Street Library, which meant he was now the curator of his own collection again. As curator, Schomburg continued to expand the collection, traveling all over the the United States and the Caribbean to collect even more Black writings, art, and artifacts.
During the six years he worked at the library, Schomburg continued to write a weekly column for the Amsterdam News profiling important historical Black figures, because his mission to spread the word about Black history never changed.
Sadly Arturo Schomburg died after falling ill from a dental infection in 1938. He was only 64 years old, but his legacy most certainly lives on in his collection and his writings.
Three Literary Lessons from Arturo Schomburg
In the face of cripling racism and white supremacy, Arturo Schomburg decided to write himself into the history books. He made it his life mission to prove that Black people had a rich history and were major contributors to western civilization. Here are some literary lessons we can all take away from Schomburg’s example.
STAY COMMITTED TO YOUR DREAMS. Schomburg is the perfect example of someone who achieved massive success by staying committed to his plans and his purpose. Follow his example and see where your work takes you.
USE YOUR WORDS TO MAKE A LASTING IMPRESSION AND CHANGE THE WORLD. Schomburg understood the power of the written word, which is why he collected books, articles, newspapers etc. It’s why he made the decision to become a writer as well, to ensure the information he’d collected would be documented and shared. So, keep writing. Leave a legacy. Change the world.
LOOK BACK IN HISTORY TO FIND PROOF OF YOUR GREATNESS. Schomburg said, "Black people have to dig deep into their own history in order to affirm themselves in the face of ongoing oppression." He didn’t allow his fifth grade teacher to define his past or his potential, he went digging into the past for the truth. You can do the same. Find your inspiration in your ancestors and their accomplishments. Write your own stories for yourself and your people. Write yourself into the history books.
More About Arturo Schomburg
If you’d like to read more about the fascinating life and work of Arturo Schomburg, get your hands on a copy of Diasporic Blackness: The Life and Times of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg by Vanessa K. Valdés. Also, you can see the fruits of Schomburg’s lifelong labor by visiting The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. Personally, I’m still waiting for the Schomburg biopic to be made.
In the meantime, if you enjoyed learning about Arturo Schomburg, you might also enjoy learning about Mexican poet, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz and/or Native American writer, N. Scott Momaday. Both of them were beautiful writers who lived extraordinary lives.
Stay inspired.