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Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture Was Founded by a Puerto Rican


The Arthur Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is a New York Public Library research library.

This is one of New York’s sacred grounds, where greatness begins.

The Center was founded on the personal Black Arts collection that Puerto Rican scholar Arturo Alfonso Schomburg built during the Harlem Renaissance. 🇵🇷

You are a collector like Mr. Schomburg.”

Schomburg center publicist describing New York Latin Culture Magazine Editor, “Kíko” Keith Widyolar.

Latin Culture at Schomburg Center


Schomburg Black Comic Book Festival 2023 (BiancoBlue/Dreamstime)

The 11th Black Comic Book Festival 2023 is a Creative Gathering of Comic, Graphic Novel & Cosplay Families

SCHOMBURG CENTER in East Harlem
April 14-15, 2023

The SchomCom brings together animators, Blerds, bloggers, illustrators, publishers and writers in a family celebration of Black comic books and graphic novels, with a cosplay showcase.

🇺🇸 🇵🇷

Continue Reading The 11th Black Comic Book Festival 2023 is a Creative Gathering of Comic, Graphic Novel & Cosplay Families

Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, Harlem Renaissance Man (Popova Olga/Dreamstime)

Remember Arturo Schomburg, Harlem Renaissance Man!

Tuesday, January 24, 2022
🇵🇷

Continue Reading Remember Arturo Schomburg, Harlem Renaissance Man!

More Schomburg Center

Schomburg Center News


November

Open House

The 2023 Schomburg Center Open House “Mixtape,” is a series of art activations, workshops, and conversations that ends with screenings of “Beat Street (1984) and short film “Black Girls Play” (2023), and a reception with dancing on the 50th Anniversary of hip hop, and hip hop history month. It’s at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem on Saturday, November 4, 2023 from 11:30am – 6pm. FREE. eventbrite.com 🇺🇸

April

Brooklyn African Surrealist Jazz Soul

aja monet, the surrealist poet, vocalist, and composer from Brooklyn, brings her jazz soul to Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture for Carnegie Hall Citywide; on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at 7pm. Free with rsvp. carnegiehall.org 🇺🇸

Monet’s surrealist spoken word is the most beautiful fever dream, one you will wake up thinking about.


Schomburg Center Tickets


Many events are free and open to the public.

Schomburg Center
515 Malcolm X Blvd
(between 135th and 136th St)
Harlem, Manhattan

Subways
(2)(3) to 135th St

nypl.org

Programs


Schomburg Center programs include:

  • Black Comic Book Festival (usually April)
  • Schomburg Center Literary Festival (usually June)
  • Women’s Jazz Festival (usually March)

About


Schomburg was born in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1874. A grade school teacher told him that Black people have no history, heroes or accomplishments. That ignorant nonsense from another era inspired the young man to prove his teacher wrong. He became a commercial printer and began to study Black literature.

Schomburg moved to New York in 1891, continued his research, and began collecting and writing. He joined some of the first scholarly organizations for people of color. Schomburg was one of the scholars of the Harlem Renaissance (1918 to mid-1930s).

The New York Public Library purchased the Schomburg collection in 1926, made him its founding curator and renamed the 135th St Branch Library after him. He died in 1938 and is buried at Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn.

Not many people get libraries named after them, and certainly no uncultured ones. Mr. Schomburg proved that old teacher wrong. Some people say mean things just to make you upset so you can’t progress. Instead of doing your thing, you start spinning in an identity crisis. It’s the colonizer’s game, but don’t play the game. Ignore it, go to the library and develop yourself.

Today we all follow in the footsteps of people like Mr. Schomburg who refused to be put down and held back. He is a great Puerto Rican, a great African American, a great New Yorker, but really just a great American, an inspiration for all generations.

[We met one of his great-grandaughters in Santurce, Puerto Rico. What a great family!]


Published November 6, 2023 ~ Updated November 16, 2023.

Filed Under: African American NYC, Harlem, LATIN BOOKS, Puerto Rican NYC

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