[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1817 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1817
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, in
recognition of his pioneering work in collecting and preserving the
history and culture of the African diaspora.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 3, 2025
Ms. Velazquez (for herself, Mr. Soto, Mr. Torres of New York, Mr.
Carson, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mrs. McIver, Mr.
Goldman of New York, Mr. Espaillat, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Mrs.
Cherfilus-McCormick, Ms. Wilson of Florida, and Ms. Lee of
Pennsylvania) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on
House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, in
recognition of his pioneering work in collecting and preserving the
history and culture of the African diaspora.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Arturo Alfonso Schomburg
Congressional Gold Medal Act''.
SEC. 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.
SEC. 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.
SEC. 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.
SEC. 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.
SEC. 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.
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