Amistad Research Center 60th Anniversary: The Ship

For 60 years, the Amistad Research Center has preserved the voices, records, and stories that help complete the American narrative.

Founded in 1966 during the height of the civil rights movement, Amistad was created to ensure that the history and cultural contributions of people of African descent and other historically underrepresented communities would not be lost, overlooked, or forgotten. Today, Amistad stands as one of the nation’s leading independent archives and research centers, serving scholars, journalists, filmmakers, artists, students, and members of the public from around the world.

Its extraordinary holdings include more than 900 collections, 15 million pages of original manuscripts and documents dating from 1780 to the present, 250,000 photographs, 8,000 moving images and sound recordings, 2,000+ periodicals, and 25,000+ books, dissertations, and articles. These collections document civil rights struggles, labor organizing, Black literature and the arts, faith communities, political thought, and everyday lives across generations.

As Amistad celebrates its 60th anniversary, we are launching The Ship Is Still Sailing—a campaign that honors the generations who built this institution while investing in the future of preservation, education, and public access.

Your support will help Amistad continue its mission in four critical areas:

Preservation
Many archival materials are fragile and irreplaceable. Donations help conserve manuscripts, photographs, film reels, audio recordings, and other historic treasures so they can survive for future generations.

Digitization
We are expanding digital access so that researchers, classrooms, families, and communities everywhere can engage with these collections online. Your gift helps turn rare materials into accessible resources for the world.

Education
Amistad works directly with teachers and K–12 students, introducing young people to primary source materials and helping them understand history through authentic voices and evidence.

Operations
Sustaining an archive requires expert stewardship, secure storage, cataloging, and day-to-day care. Gifts help ensure that the collections remain professionally managed and publicly available.

This campaign comes at a powerful moment. As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, Amistad reminds us that the national story is only complete when every voice is preserved and every contribution is recognized.

When you give to Amistad, you are not only supporting an archive—you are protecting truth, memory, scholarship, and culture.

Please join us in celebrating 60 years of impact and helping shape the next 60 years.

The Ship Is Still Sailing.