The New York Amsterdam News and its historic headquarters have never been merely a newspaper and a building. They have always been living institutions, guardians of truth, engines of empowerment, and sanctuaries for Black and Brown voices too often excluded from the national narrative. Through fearless journalism and groundbreaking storytelling, the Amsterdam News has stood as a beacon of accountability and possibility. Today, the Amsterdam News Educational Foundation is carrying that legacy forward, reimagining this iconic Harlem landmark into a dynamic national center that honors our past while shaping the future.

The Amsterdam News’ 116 year legacy of moral courage is legendary among Black newspapers. December 6, 1922 front page headlines thundered against the Ku Klux Klan, condemned the defeat of the Dwyer Anti-Lynching Bill in Congress, and uplifted Black leaders who gathered in Europe to expose the racial terror endured in the United States. It was the first publication to print the words of Malcolm X and among the very few news outlets willing to defend the truth in the case of the “Central Park Five,” now rightly known as the Exonerated Five.

Because of this uncompromising commitment to justice, the Amsterdam News and the Amsterdam News Educational Foundation are deeply trusted by Black and Brown communities in New York City and across the nation. That trust is the bedrock upon which this bold new vision stands.

We are profoundly honored by the extraordinary support of the Mellon Foundation’s Humanities in Place program, which is funding the planning phase of Reimagining…. This work is being led by award-winning Black architects Angel Ayon and Jerome Haferd, nationally acclaimed for their visionary approach at the intersection of historic preservation and contemporary design. The initiative also supports a full-time archivist dedicated to stewarding the Amsterdam News’ irreplaceable trove of Black history, an archive described by Winthrop Archival and Informational Services as:

“The Archives and Library of the Amsterdam News constitute what is one of the most substantial and still-to-be explored information resources of its kind (Black history) in the United States today.”

At this pivotal moment, reimagining the Amsterdam News headquarters is not simply about preserving a historic building. It is about strengthening a trusted institution, reclaiming narrative power, and ensuring that Black truth, history, and imagination continue to inform, and transform, the future.

Save This Harlem Treasure

By Amsterdam News Educational Foundation Inc

Save This Harlem Treasure

Preserve Irreplaceable Black History