The 30th Annual Arturo Schomburg Symposium traces how African-descended peoples, both enslaved and free, have sustained cultures and liberation struggles through rich, dynamic, spiritual, and religious expressions.

As the United States commemorates the Semiquincentennial in 2026, Taller Puertorriqueño’s guiding theme, “We Will Not Hide,” draws inspiration from the 1976 “Sin Colonias March” in Philadelphia—also called the “People’s Bicentennial”—which united over 40,000 African Americans, Indigenous activists, Puerto Ricans, and allies in a powerful demonstration of solidarity and resistance to a narrative that ignores their presence, needs, and contributions. This historic coalition serves as a touchstone for the symposium’s commitment to visibility, dignity, and self-determination. The Schomburg Symposium will kick off this year’s programming.

The Schomburg Symposium has, for the past 29 years, presented critical, celebratory, and reflective perspectives from the Latine, Latin American, African American, and AfroLatine communities, featuring leading scholars, activists, artists, and community voices.