With more than a century of history, the New York Amsterdam News is set to showcase its legacy through a new museum dedicated to the renowned Black newspaper.
Located in Harlem on Frederick Douglass Boulevard, steps from the iconic Apollo Theater, the New York Amsterdam News has been a cornerstone of Black journalism since 1909, making it one of the nation’s oldest Black-owned newspapers.
The museum, which is in its early planning stages, will feature exhibits and galleries and offer visitors an educational journey through the history of Black-centric reporting.
“Whether it has been to keep hospitals open, or fighting to get people in or out of power, or just giving the information to our community, our editorial stance has been strong,” New York Amsterdam News Publisher and Editor in Chief Elinor Tatum told CBS New York.
“I think the impact is almost immeasurable because we have been a constant beating drum,” she added. “When Michael Jackson died in 2009, there were lines around the corner to pick up our newspaper. They knew that we were going to be doing something meaningful.”
A walk through the newsroom already reveals a rich history, with vintage furniture, original fixtures, and classic space dividers dating back to the early 1900s—elements that make it a fitting and authentic setting for a museum.
”I hope they get a feeling of what it was like being inside of a newsroom back then. And get to know a little bit more about what it meant to be a Black reporter in New York through the ages,” Tatum said.
With archival clippings dating back to the 1940s, the newsrooms’ transition to a museum is sure to offer visitors a chance to relive history.
“These are metal plates that were used to produce photographs, and that’s what they would come out as, and we have thousands of these that date back to the 1930s,” Tatum said.
The newspaper, which continues to publish a print edition weekly with a circulation of about 20,000, aims to begin construction in August and open the museum by the end of 2027.
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