Amistad Research Center

About
The Amistad Research Center is committed to collecting, preserving, and providing open access to original materials that document the social and cultural significance of America’s ethnic and racial history, the African Diaspora, human relations, and civil rights.

As a community-based archive and library, Amistad is open to anyone who wishes to consult its collections. Through the direction, support, and advocacy of our community, the Amistad Research Center has expanded its visibility and impact, helping secure critical funding in the following areas:

Digital Collections and Public Access
Amistad has undertaken major projects to digitize rare and historically significant film, video, and sound recordings related to civil rights and social justice. These include 1960s documentary footage of civil rights activities in Mississippi, an oral history collection focused on Louisiana musicians, and 1970s campaign films created for the first African American mayor of New Orleans. Digital exhibitions explore topics such as the beginnings of public school integration in New Orleans, the Black Arts Movement, abolition and emancipation, and more.

Education
Each year, the Amistad Research Center dedicates hundreds of hours to working directly with teachers and K–12 students, helping young learners engage with primary source materials. This work is made possible through support from the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation and Sherry and Alan Leventhal.

Testimonial
“I am currently a first-year student in the Department of History at Northwestern University. During the summer of 2017, I interned at the Amistad Research Center. My responsibilities included processing portions of the Negro Almanac and John T. Scott collections, as well as pulling and refiling books within the Center’s library. This opportunity was instrumental in affirming my interest in archival management and continues to inform why I give to Amistad. I see Amistad as a training ground for the next generation of archivists specializing in African American history.”
— Marquis Taylor, B.A., Howard University