Schomburg: A Matter of Pride (3407)

In celebration of National Black History Month, Images/Imagenes presents the story and legacy of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg. Born in Puerto Rico on January 24, 1874, he set out to prove a school teacher wrong when told that "Black people have no history, no heroes, no great moments." He aggressively sought and collected any material relative to that subject. By 1926, his collection of over 10,000 items drew world wide acclaim. Frequently, he loaned objects to the New York Public Library and the Carnegie Corporation. At a national level, he became an icon of African – American Communities who paved the way for the “Harlem Renaissance.” Arturo, a historian, collector and community activist, believed in fighting racial prejudice with proof of the outstanding achievements made by people of African descent. Join representatives from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania in this television special that salutes a man who kept African history in the Americas alive by searching for his own roots.