Amistad Research Center receives National Medal
21st June 2022 · 0 Comments
By Ryan Whirty
Contributing Writer
The Amistad Research Center earlier this month was named a recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, considered the country’s highest recognition for museums and libraries dedicated to serving the public.
Amistad, which is located in New Orleans on the campus of Tulane University, was one of six institutions nationwide to receive the 2002 National Medal, which is bestowed annually by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which is based in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Kara Tucina Olidge, the executive director of the Amistad Research Center, said she was “absolutely excited” when she heard about Amistad receiving the national honor, adding that Amistad is proud of its “wonderful, unique history” of education, preservation and public outreach. She said her organization’s own story reflects the history of people of color, which she called “an American story.”
“Amistad was founded at Fisk University in 1966, during the Civil Rights Movement, which was a great transformational time for African Americans and for the country and our collective sense of history, and [Amistad’s] collections reflect that history,” Tucina Olidge said.
She added that the determination and pride of people of color throughout the country’s history is embodied in Amistad’s archives and programming.
“It reflects the power of democracy and the resilience and strength of not just African Americans but people of African descent all over the world,” she said.
According to Amistad’s website, the institution’s mission is “collecting, preserving, and providing open access to original materials that reference the social and cultural importance of America’s ethnic and racial history, the African Diaspora, human relations, and civil rights.”
Cyndee Landrum, deputy director for the IMLS Office of Library Services, said Amistad was selected to receive the National Medal because Amistad “demonstrates through its public programs, educational resources, exhibitions and partnerships that its community extends beyond the international researchers and scholars that access its outstanding collections.
“Amistad invites New Orleanians, Louisianians and the general public to explore and learn from social, historical and cultural experiences that connect people and create understanding,” she added.
Landrum said the IMLS selects its National Medal recipients based on several criteria that recognize an institution for its dedication to continual public service and community outreach through innovative approaches. She added that “[r]ecipients exhibit innovative approaches to public service, reaching beyond the expected levels of community outreach and core programs generally associated with libraries and museums.”
The Amistad Research Center, which houses the archives of The Louisiana Weekly, became an independent, non-profit organization in 1969 and moved to Dillard University in New Orleans the next year. It later moved to the U.S. Mint building in the city, then to Tulane in 1987.
This year’s recipients were selected from a pool of 30 institutions and brings the total number of recipients to 176 since the IMLS began bestowing the honor in 1996.
“We are preserving the cultural heritage of African Americans and their contribution to history,” at Amistad, Olidge said.
This article originally published in the June 20, 2022 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
