I 
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. VELA´ZQUEZ (for herself, Mr. SOTO, Mr. TORRES of New York, Mr. CAR-
SON, 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 Penn-
sylvania) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on House 
Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speak-
er, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the ju-
risdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Arturo Alfonso 
Schomburg, in recognition of his pioneering work in col-
lecting and preserving the history and culture of the 
African diaspora. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives 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’’. 
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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 evi-
dence of the contributions of Africans and their de-
scendants. 
(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 pro-
motion 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 
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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 Re-
search 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 ac-
quired Schomburg’s collection, which became the 
foundation for the Schomburg Center for Research 
in Black Culture in Harlem, a world-renowned insti-
tution 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 genera-
tions 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 contribu-
tions to society. 
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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 pre-
serving 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 ‘‘Sec-
retary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, 
devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Sec-
retary. 
(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 appro-
priate 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 
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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 pursu-
ant 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 nec-
essary 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 
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4 shall be deposited into the United States Mint Public 
Enterprise Fund. 
Æ 
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