In honor of Black History Month and the historical legacy of the AFRO Newspapers in Baltimore, President and CEO Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper received a check for AFRO Charities in the amount of $2,257,000 to renovate the historic Upton Mansion in Baltimore that will house the newspaper’s archives.
More than 3,000 photographs, recordings and other significant documents that tell the story of the African American experience over the past 130 years will be housed in the building that once belonged to Sen. David Stewart (1800-1858). The building also housed Maryland’s oldest radio station and the home of the Baltimore Institute of Musical Arts.
Also at the press conference held Mon., Feb. 13 on the Upton grounds were, pictured: (left-right) Darroll Cribb, president, Upton Planning Committee, Savannah Wood, executive director, AFRO Charities, Rep. Kweisi Mfume (Md.-07), Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). The AFRO is the oldest family-owned and continuously published Black newspaper in the U.S.