Every movement for justice needs someone who chronicles its ebbs and flows in a way that challenges the present context and preserves a record for posterity. You find their names in the footnotes of history, but without them, there would be no record of history.
For 100 years, the Amsterdam News has been the chronicler of our history. It has been a vibrant town hall for thought and intellectual discourse amongst the greatest of African-American thinkers, from W.E.B. Du Bois and Malcolm X to contemporary political leaders and activists. It is the clarion voice of Black America – not just in Harlem, but throughout the world. It is the crusader that dares to challenge the conventional wisdom, discover the untold truth and expose the hidden stories that impact our lives.
It is not an accidental irony that both the NAACP and the Amsterdam News were born in 1909; the same year that Matthew Henson, a Black man, and explorer Robert Peary, led the nation's first successful expedition to the North Pole. It was a year of daring – a year when African Americans and people of good conscience stood up to make a difference and had the audacity to dream that their aspirations of justice could be achieved. A multiracial group of progressives gathered in New York to form the NAACP, daring to dream of a successful movement that would end the horrors of lynch-mob violence and build a sustained movement for civil rights.
And at the same time, a relatively unknown South Carolina native, James Henry Anderson, dared to dream of a newspaper that could inform, uplift and serve African Americans. His first edition was laid out on his wife's dressmaker's table with six sheets of paper and a lead pencil. It sold for two cents a copy from Anderson's home at 132 West 65th Street, in the San Juan Hill section of Manhattan. For the next 100 years, the Amsterdam News chronicled the struggles, the hopes and the challenges of Black America. In that sense, it became a strong partner of the work of the NAACP – giving voice to those fighting for the rights of Black people.
Now, 100 years later, the Amsterdam News, under the leadership of Elinor Tatum, has become one of New York's largest and most influential Black-owned and -operated businesses and one of the nation's leading African-American newspapers. In a brutal climate that has seen newspapers folding by the dozen, the Amsterdam News remains strong and unwavering in its commitment to bring vital information to its readers.
The newspaper has a long tradition of giving space to African-American leaders seeking to play a leadership role in our democracy, often when the rest of New York's newspapers would not. As a result, political leaders from Charles Rangel to Percy Sutton, were able to rise to the fore. But the newspaper did not shrink from aggressively questioning those seeking office, assuring once again that the questions of the people were heard. There is no doubt in my mind that without the Amsterdam News, New York City would not have elected its first Black mayor, David Dinkins, nor seen the advent of its first Black New York State Gov. David A. Paterson. And their firsts helped pave the way for the historic election of President Barack Obama.
I had the fortune to have been a stringer, contributor and an editorial board member of the Amsterdam News during the tenure of its third publisher, Wilbur Tatum. I remember well Bill Tatum's impressive blend of pugnaciousness and patriotism. I will never forget Bill's tremendous insight and how he often said that the best way to contribute to democracy is to recognize that it is flawed and to confront it. It is a mantra that guides me today.
After Wilbert Tatum's death, his daughter Elinor began to run the Amsterdam News. Elinor Tatum's visionary leadership brought the newspaper into the 21st century, making use of online technology to continue the paper's legacy and broaden its reach. But while some of the tools of communication changed, she never wavered from Anderson's goal – reflected by her father's legacy – of tirelessly serving the needs of the Black community and being its mouthpiece.
The Amsterdam News taught and mentored me and countless other Black leaders. It is a treasured independent voice and a cherished forum for debate within our community. For over a century, it has given promise, hope and critical information to millions of Harlem and New York residents. For over a century, it both reflected and defined our Blackness.
The NAACP ultimately did end the violence of lynch mobs and a successful movement was launched. The Amsterdam News grew from James Anderson's dream laid out on his wife's dressmakers table to become the strong and influential newspaper of today.
The NAACP could not have achieved its goals without the partnership of the Amsterdam News. We salute the Amsterdam News on its 100-year anniversary and look forward to another century of its pioneering journalism.
