Save Black History: Amistad Research Center Braces for Federal Budget Cuts and Asks for Help

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — In the wake of federal budget cuts, several nonprofits across the country are feeling their funding drastically diminish, after the Trump administration drastically scaled back government spending. The organizations that are affected the most are those who receive money through grants. Locally, the Amistad Research Center is affected and trying to find other ways to keep moving forward. They are now looking for assistance through donations from the public.

The Amistad Research Center was founded in 1966 and has archival material that dates back to the 18th Century, including slavery documentation, letters from Ida B. Wells and so many other important artifacts and papers.

Amistad is in an effort to raise a million dollars to cover the costs of it’s research and preservation. Jade Flint is the Assistant Curator at Amistad and says, “things are happening every day. I think it’s important to continue to highlight this history, to know where we’ve been and to try and fix some of these things. We should know the strategies that people used in the past. Recent federal budget cuts have affected non profits across the country, including us here at Amistad. 75% of our budget is made up of federal grants. We are at risk for our staff salaries, and other things that help us function as a community resource. If you can visit SaveBlackHistory.org, to help us raise a million dollars in the next 30 days in order to cover those costs.”

The Amistad Research Center is the oldest and largest independent archives collection in the country that tells the story of race in America. To learn more and assist the Amistad Research Center, click here.