The National Football League along with NFL Films today announced they have agreed to donate footage to The HistoryMakers, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Chicago.
Under terms of the agreement, in addition to two years of funding the NFL will provide The HistoryMakers with hundreds of hours of footage from interviews with NFL African-American legends from the past and present, including dozens of Pro Football Hall of Fame players. They will also donate their production services to interview prominent African-American football players for inclusion to The HistoryMakers archives which our housed permanently at the Library of Congress.
"We feel a deep debt of gratitude to the NFL and NFL Films for this incredible gift as this level of commitment will help move The HistoryMakers sports initiative forward in ways that we need and previously could not have imagined," says Julieanna Richardson, Founder & President of The HistoryMakers. "Our goal since our inception has always been to document the African-American experience across a variety of disciplines and this commitment will ensure that the stories of African American football legends and African-Americans who have played a critical role in NFL history will now become part of this nation's patrimony."
"We are thrilled to team up with The HistoryMakers and contribute to their rich video archives of African-American history" said Ross Ketover, Senior Executive of NFL Films. "This will truly be a mutually beneficial relationship as our NFL Films interviews will be seen by a whole new audience, while The HistoryMakers will be able to add much needed history to its national archives to educate millions for years to come."
