Published by Andrew Wiegert, August 29th, 2025

The Amistad Research Center in New Orleans, one of the nation’s preeminent archives documenting African American and African diaspora history, is reeling from a 40% budget reduction following federal grant cuts. The loss of funding jeopardizes ongoing digitization projects, educational outreach, and the acquisition of new materials, particularly in areas documenting Black and LGBTQ experiences. Executive Director Kara Olidge has launched an urgent fundraising campaign to fill the gap, calling on supporters to help preserve the center’s unparalleled collections. The crisis underscores the vulnerability of specialized archives that serve underrepresented communities, even as demand for their resources continues to rise.

Link to article:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/07/23/amistad-black-history-trump/