Arturo Alfonso Schomburg Congressional Gold Medal Act
Officially: “Arturo Alfonso Schomburg Congressional Gold Medal Act” Read the full text
What it does
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1Short title
This section would give the Act the short title "Arturo Alfonso Schomburg Congressional Gold Medal Act."
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Arturo Alfonso Schomburg Congressional Gold Medal Act .
2Findings
This section would have Congress state its findings about Arturo Alfonso Schomburg. Congress finds that he was born on January 24, 1874, in Santurce, Puerto Rico, to a Puerto Rican father of German descent and an Afro-Caribbean mother from St. Croix. As a youth, a teacher told him that people of African descent had no history, heroes, or accomplishments, which inspired him to spend his life collecting evidence disproving that claim. At age 17 he immigrated to New York City and became an active member of the intellectual community during the Harlem Renaissance, contributing to the promotion of African and African American culture and history. He amassed a personal collection of more than 10,000 items related to Black history and the African diaspora and made it accessible to the public, including original newspapers published by Frederick Douglass, poems by Phillis Wheatley, letters from Toussaint Louverture, books and journals by Paul Cuffe, and music composed by Chevalier de Saint-Georges. During the 1920s he was an active member of the Negro Society for Historical Research and the American Negro Academy, writing on the history of the global African diaspora and on Cuban poets of African descent. In 1926 the New York Public Library acquired his collection, which became the foundation for the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, and that archive has since grown to more than 10 million items. Congress finds that his efforts have inspired generations of scholars, writers, and artists to explore and celebrate the history and culture of the African diaspora, and that a Congressional Gold Medal would be an appropriate way to honor his legacy and his role in laying the foundation for future scholarship and global recognition of Black contributions to society.
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2. Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) Arturo Alfonso Schomburg was born on January 24, 1874, in Santurce, Puerto Rico, to a Puerto Rican father of German descent and an Afro-Caribbean mother from St. Croix. (2) In his youth, a teacher told Schomburg that people of African descent had no history, heroes, or accomplishments, which inspired him to dedicate his life to proving this notion wrong by collecting evidence of the contributions of Africans and their descendants. (3) At the age of 17, Schomburg immigrated to New York City, where he became an active member of the intellectual community during the Harlem Renaissance, contributing significantly to the promotion of African and African American culture and history. (4) Schomburg amassed a personal collection of over 10,000 items related to Black history and the African diaspora, which he made accessible to the public. (5) His collection featured original newspapers published by Frederick Douglass, poems by Phillis Wheatley, letters from Toussaint Louverture, books and journals by Paul Cuffe, and music composed by Chevalier de Saint-Georges. (6) During the 1920s, Schomburg was an active member of the Negro Society for Historical Research and the American Negro Academy, writing on the history of the global African diaspora and Cuban poets of African descent. (7) In 1926, the New York Public Library acquired Schomburg’s collection, which became the foundation for the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, a world-renowned institution for the study of the global Black experience. (8) Schomburg’s archive has grown to more than 10 million items. (9) Schomburg’s efforts have inspired generations of scholars, writers, and artists to explore and celebrate the rich history and culture of the African diaspora. (10) The Congressional Gold Medal would be an appropriate way to honor Schomburg’s legacy and his role in laying the foundation for future scholarship and global recognition of Black contributions to society.
3Congressional gold medal
This section would direct the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, recognizing his pioneering work collecting and preserving the history and culture of the African diaspora. It would require the Secretary of the Treasury to strike the gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be decided by the Secretary. After the medal is presented, it would go to the National Museum of African American History and Culture of the Smithsonian Institution, where it would be displayed as appropriate and made available for research. It would also state the sense of Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should make the medal available for display elsewhere, particularly at other locations and events associated with Schomburg.
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3. Congressional gold medal (a) Award authorized The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the posthumous presentation, on behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, in recognition of his pioneering work in collecting and preserving the history and culture of the African diaspora. (b) Design and striking For the purposes of the presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (referred to in this Act as the Secretary ) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. (c) Smithsonian institution (1) In general Following the award of the gold medal under subsection (a), the gold medal shall be given to the National Museum of African American History and Culture of the Smithsonian Institution, where it shall be displayed as appropriate and made available for research. (2) Sense of congress It is the sense of Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) available for display elsewhere, particularly at other locations and events associated with Arturo Alfonso Schomburg.
4Duplicate medals
This section would let the Secretary of the Treasury strike and sell bronze duplicates of the gold medal created under section 3, at a price sufficient to cover their cost, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses.
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4. Duplicate medals The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal struck pursuant to section 3, at a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses.
5Status of medals
This section would make all medals struck under this Act national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31 of the United States Code, and would treat all medals struck under this Act as numismatic items for purposes of sections 5134 and 5136 of title 31 of the United States Code.
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5. Status of medals (a) National medals The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code. (b) Numismatic items or purposes of sections 5134 and 5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.
6Authority to use fund amounts; proceeds of sale
This section would authorize charging the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund for the amounts needed to pay the costs of the medals struck under this Act. It would also require that amounts received from selling the duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 4 be deposited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
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6. Authority To use fund amounts; proceeds of sale (a) Authority To use fund amounts There is authorized to be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund such amounts as may be necessary to pay for the costs of the medals struck under this Act. (b) Proceeds of sale Amounts received from the sale of duplicate bronze medals authorized under section 4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
Where it is
In the House.