Voting Station

Arturo Schomberg

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Author

The Resume

    (January 24, 1874-June 10, 1938)
    Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico
    Historian and collector
    Co-founder of the Negro Society for Historical Research (1911)
    Co-edited ‘The Encyclopedia of the Colored Race’ (1912)
    Wrote the essay ‘The Negro Digs Up His Past’ (1925)

Why he might be annoying:

    A biographer noted, ‘Much about Schomburg’s early life in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands is a mystery, and there is considerable evidence to suggest that he wished it to remain so.’
    One probable reason for the mystery: he was born out of wedlock.
    He sometimes used the first name Arthur instead of Arturo.
    He coined the word ‘Afroborinqueño’ to describe his black-Puerto Rican heritage. (Perhaps not as goofy as Cablinasian, but still….)

Why he might not be annoying:

    His mother was a black midwife, his father was the son of German immigrants.
    He decided to document the achievements of African-Americans after his fifth-grade teacher claimed black people had no history, heroes, or accomplishments.
    He amassed a collection of over 10,000 documents, including newspapers published by Frederick Douglass, signed poems by Phyllis Wheatley, correspondence from Toussaint L’Overture, and compositions by Chevalier de Saint-Georges.
    The New York Public Library purchased his archive and appointed him curator of the collection.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 7 Votes: 28.57% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying