A documentary that tells the inspiring story of how six iconic African American women entertainers – Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier – challenged an entertainment industry deeply complicit in perpetuating racist stereotypes, and transformed themselves and their audiences in the process.
Today, we are highlighting Arturo Alfono Schomburg, who is most known for his work resulting today in the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture located on 135th Street in Harlem. (This is a MUST visit for anyone interested in history!) A fascinating historical figure, Schomburg was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico and dedicated his early years to the struggle for the independence of Puerto Rico and Cuba. He came to New York City in the late 1800s and worked with the circle of Cuban and Puerto Rican revolutionaries, like the great José Martí and Máximo Gomez, who were based there at the time. Later, influenced by figures like WEB Dubois and Alaine Locke, Schomburg began work collecting important artifacts from the African diaspora, which would later become the basis for the Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. Schomburg’s work would later influence important figures associated with the Harlem Renaissance, such as Langston Hughs and Claude McKay.
Arturo Alfonso Schomburg