The Kansas City Star’s Apology is Part of a Larger Racial Reckoning
December 22, 2020 — Joseph Torres
Exterior of the Kansas City Star. Photo: Flickr user Nicolas Henderson
After five years of organizing, imagining, and building toward a future rooted in media reparations, Media 2070 is stepping boldly into its newest era.
We are proud to announce that Media 2070 is now an independent initiative sponsored by Allied Media Projects (AMP). This milestone marks a powerful turning point — one that aligns squarely with our mission to transform the media system allowing Black people and communities to thrive, tell our stories freely, and shape our collective future.
Since our inception as a project of Free Press, Media 2070 has been dedicated to exposing the past and present harms of the U.S. media system, uplifting the brilliance of Black storytellers, and building a movement that demands accountability and reparative action. Our evolution into an independent initiative strengthens that commitment. It allows us to expand our work with the autonomy, leadership, and infrastructure needed to deepen our impact.
AMP’s Sponsored Projects program is designed for media-based projects that are organizing toward liberation and systemic transformation. Through this partnership, Media 2070 will access shared operational, financial, and administrative support — while continuing to lead our work with our own vision, values, and strategy. Being sponsored by AMP also connects us to a powerful network of projects, artists, organizers, and innovators committed to building a more just world.
Our transition reflects a core truth we have championed since day one: Black communities must own, shape, and tell our narratives. Independence is a core value for us; it’s not just a demand for the media but an operational shift internally as well. It’s essentially a full expression of our belief in Black leadership and our commitment to controlling the stories that influence our lives. This new stage allows us to more fully embody our values and move intentionally toward the media future we deserve.
As we grow into this next phase, we are expanding several projects and backend resources that form the backbone of our movement:
- Advancing groundbreaking research:
Media 2070 will continue and deepen Joe Torres’ critical research on the intersections of race, citizenship, and media institutions. His work offers essential historical and policy analysis that helps us understand not only how harm has occurred, but what true repair requires. - Exploring reparative justice in technology:
The future of media is intertwined with emerging tech — and we are committed to ensuring that artificial intelligence, digital platforms, and new forms of communication do not replicate the anti-Blackness of the past. Our expanded research and organizing in this area will explore what repair looks like in tech spaces and how Black communities can lead. - Strengthening movement-building:
We will be investing deeper in convenings, community dialogues, research dissemination, and collaborative spaces that bring Black storytellers, journalists, organizers, and policy advocates together to shape a shared agenda for media reparations. - Expanding the Black Future Newsstand:
One of our most beloved and visible projects, the Black Future Newsstand, will continue traveling to cities across the country. Each installation celebrates Black imagination, creativity, and journalism — offering communities a portal into the media future we’re working to create.
This next chapter is one of expansion, deepening, and alignment. We are grateful to Free Press for incubating Media 2070 and to Allied Media Projects for supporting our evolution. Above all, we are grateful to the communities, partners, scholars, artists, journalists, and supporters who believe in this work and walk alongside us.
We can’t wait to build this future with you.