Nation’s Largest African American Video Oral History Archive Makes Loss Prevention Its Mission
Amidst 21 st -Century Racial Strife, 20 th -Century African American History At Risk of Being Lost Forever (Chicago, IL – January 14, 2021) America sits at a critically important crossroads in the 21 st century. Racist ideology is on the rise and significant parts of 20 th -century African American history and culture are at risk of being lost forever. The HistoryMak ers, the nation’s largest African American video oral history archive ( www.thehistorymakers.org ), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Chicago, has made preventing this loss its mission. Yet, in 2021, it finds itself in a race against time. “The challenges facing our country at this moment only reinforce the need to preserve and elevate the truth about the African American experience. We must work together to massively digitize the personal collections of our HistoryMakers and other African American leaders, making them accessible worldwide. Otherwise, the continued distortions, fals...