{"id":136,"date":"2023-01-04T10:40:12","date_gmt":"2023-01-04T15:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/provost-test\/?page_id=136"},"modified":"2026-04-01T11:18:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T15:18:24","slug":"schomburg-distinguished-visiting-scholars","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ramapo.edu\/provost\/faculty-resources\/schomburg-distinguished-visiting-scholars\/","title":{"rendered":"Schomburg Distinguished Visiting Scholars"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Arturo (Arthur) Alfonso Schomburg (1874-1938)<\/p><\/div>\n

The Schomburg Program, established in 1987 and named for Puerto Rican historian, writer, and activist Arturo Schomburg, provides 秘密研究所 students with the opportunity to learn from scholars, activists, authors, artists, etc. from diverse backgrounds with expertise related to intercultural\/multicultural education.<\/p>\n

The Schomburg Program History<\/h2>\n

In 1987 the Minority Faculty and Staff Association of 秘密研究所 in concert with the administration, developed and initiated a Distinguished visiting minority scholar program \u2013 entitled the The Schomburg Program, after the Puerto Rican historian, writer, and activist Arturo Schomburg. It was originally designed to impact on students\u2019 learning experiences through exposure to a greater minority presence with the community of Ramapo educators and enrich offerings related to the intercultural\/multicultural mission. It was and is expected to provide 秘密研究所 students with the opportunity to hear from, and interact with, scholars, activists, authors, artists etc. from diverse backgrounds with expertise in areas related to intercultural\/multicultural education.<\/p>\n

Arturo Alfonso Schomburg was born in Puerto Rico on January 24, 1874. He began his education in a primary school in San Juan, where he studied reading, penmanship, sacred history, church history, arithmetic, Spanish grammar, history, agriculture and commerce. Arturo\u2019s fifth-grade teacher is said to have told him that \u201cBlack people have no history, no heroes, no great moments.\u201d Because of this and his participation in a history club, Schomburg developed a thirst for knowledge about people of African descent and began his lifelong quest studying the history and collecting the books and artifacts that made up the core of his unique and extensive library.\"Black<\/p>\n

He came to New York in April 1891 and lived on the Lower East Side. He was involved in the revolutionary movements of the immigrant Cubans and Puerto Ricans living in that area, regularly attending meetings and working at odd jobs while attending night school at Manhattan Central High School. Schomburg became a Mason and met bibliophile and journalist John Edward Bruce. \u201cBruce Grit\u201d introduced Schomburg to the African-American intellectual community and encouraged him to write about African world history and continue to increase his knowledge.<\/p>\n

Arturo Schomburg would look everywhere for books by and about African people. He also collected letters, manuscripts, prints, playbills and paintings. He was especially proud of his collection of Benjamin Banneker\u2019s\u00a0Almanacs<\/em>. In fact, his library contained many rare and unusual items from all over the world. The history of the Caribbean and Latin America and the lives of heroic people in that region was also an area of special interest to Schomburg. And he actively sought any material relative to that subject.<\/p>\n

Schomburg\u2019s collection became the cornerstone of The New York Public Library\u2019s Division of Negro Literature, History, and Prints. He frequently loaned objects from his personal library to the 135th Street Branch of The New York Public Library, which was a center of intellectual and cultural activity in Harlem. In 1926 his collection of 10,000 items was purchased by the Library with the assistance of the Carnegie Corporation. He was later invited to be the curator of the new division that included his collections. He became involved in the social and literary movement that started in Harlem, known as the \u201cHarlem Renaissance.\u201d which spread to African-American communities throughout the country. Schomburg fully shared his knowledge of the history of peoples of African descent with the young scholars and writers of the New Negro movement. One of his primary motivations was to combat racial prejudice by providing proof of the extraordinary contributions of peoples of African descent to world history. Schomburg wrote, \u201cI depart now on a mission of love to recapture my lost heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/i><\/i><\/i><\/span>Upcoming Events<\/div>
\n

“The Archive of the Unheard: Reporting from the Margins of Democracy”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Book-talk featuring award-winning author of The Many Lives of Syeda X: The Story of an Unknown Indian, <\/em>Neha Dixit<\/strong>\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Thursday, April 16, 2026 from 1:00 – 2:30 pm<\/strong><\/p>\n

Padovano Commons<\/strong><\/p>\n

This public event will feature a book-talk and conversation with author Neha Dixit on her award winning book titled, \u201cThe Many Lives of Syeda X: The Story of an Unknown Indian.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The program will illuminate the landscape of working-class India through an exploration of the socio-economic and living conditions as experienced by the cast of characters described in the book. In so doing, the program aims to provide invaluable glimpses into the multiple and complex realities of modern India, most often ignored by media and cinema.<\/span><\/p>\n

The event will build an awareness and greater understanding of the majoritarian politics, provide insights into unique forms of story telling, and explore the ways in which human rights are claimed and contested through the everyday struggles of Muslim women in India.<\/span><\/p>\n

Neha Dixit is an award-winning, independent journalist based out of New Delhi, India. With a focus on the intersection of politics, gender, and social justice in South Asia, the majority of her work is in long-form, investigative and narrative formal. She has reported for Al Jazeera, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Caravan, Smithsonian, Tehelka, India Today, Foreign Policy, The Wire, and others. Her debut non-fiction book \u201cThe Many Lives of SyedaX: The Story of an Unknown India\u201d was published in 2024 by Juggernaut Books.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

<\/i><\/i><\/i><\/span>Criteria & Procedure<\/div>
\n

Criteria<\/h3>\n

(Developed by Minority Faculty and Staff Association)<\/p>\n

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.<\/p>\n

Candidates should meet the following criteria:<\/p>\n