COVER STORY: It's been over 50 years since the New York Knicks last NBA championship. Head coach Mike Brown, and All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns endeavor to add their names to Knicks lore. Read more here: https://bit.ly/4tYoSta

Family members, longtime comrades, movement veterans, scholars, and admirers of Assata Shakur plan to gather at Riverside Church on May 30 for a public celebration of her life. See more here: https://bit.ly/42QG88u 

This year marks the deadliest start for state prisons in at least six years, according to findings recently reported by the watchdog Correctional Association of New York (CANY).

On May 1 , 1865 , freed slaves came together in Charleston , S.C to pay tribute to the Union soldiers that had been deceased and put into a common burial after the war launching the first #MemorialDay. There were 257 deceased Union soldiers.

We honor our fallen heroes on this #MemorialDay

Middle-aged and aging alumni of the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) could very well be reaping health benefits decades later, according to a recent study.

DanceAfrica 2026 can always be counted on to present a thrillingly dynamic panorama of music, dance, and more during Memorial Day weekend — and this year will be no different.

Today we honor singer songwriter and actress Patti LaBelle on her birthday!

Across the country, Black churches are building gardens, supporting Black farmers, and reframing food as an issue of justice, health, and self-determination.

EDITORIAL: "The Trump administration calls it the Department of Justice (DOJ), but for many Americans, it’s the Department of Injustice, particularly as it systemically reverses the acts and laws authored by the Obama and Biden administrations."

For the more than 10 million Black Americans who rely on federal food assistance to feed their families, the projected damage from food aid cuts was not just a warning. They were all but a done deal.

A new #Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda is the latest health emergency forcing African governments to break free of dependency on global donors like the United States, as international support has been slashed in half over the past five years.

In advance of the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 11, which includes matches in the New York area, the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) has opened the exhibition, “For the Win: Objects of Sports Excellence."

Rob Base, a rapper and one half of the Harlem hip-hop duo Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 59.

SPORTS: The Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program (HJTEP) held its annual gala on May 11 honoring NBA All-Star Joakim Noah and Parkway Ventures.

Black Birders Week, the national push to encourage Black people to stake their space in nature, science, and public green spaces, will take place again this year from May 24 through May 30. Read more here:

BLACK NEW YORKER: "Angel mom" Shiyonne Chester became a maternal health advocate and started a nonprofit after her son died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in 2012.

The New York Knicks visit the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals with a 2-0 lead in the series. But can the Knicks win the NBA Championship. We dive in. Read more here: https://bit.ly/4tYoSta

For immigrants facing deportation, time is often measured in court dates, deadlines, and last-minute pleas for mercy. Now the Trump administration wants to make one of those pleas significantly more expensive.

EXCLUSIVE: Three-time Emmy Award-winner and Academy Award nominee Sterling K. Brown spoke exclusively with the AmNews about his role as “Man” and working with the cast in the Black women-led film “Is God Is.” Read more here: https://bit.ly/43rMCux

OP-ED: "There is a growing feeling in Bedford-Stuyvesant that the people who built this community are steadily losing their claim to it. The rise in #deedtheft is not incidental to Brooklyn’s transformation. It is one of its clearest warning signs."

Family members, longtime comrades, movement veterans, scholars, and admirers of Assata Shakur plan to gather at Riverside Church on May 30 for a public celebration of her life — a memorial that will affirm the political life Shakur spent decades defending.

A new and deadly Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda is the latest health emergency forcing African governments to break free of dependency on global donors like the United States.

The theme for this year’s Figure Skating in Harlem (FSH) gala was Igniting the Dream, and Olympic figure skaters were on hand to be part of the celebration.

A bill that is gaining momentum in the City Council aims to establish a minority youth entrepreneurship program targeted at Black and Latino young people that allows them a chance to compete for city contracts.

This year marks the deadliest start for state prisons in at least six years. The findings account for the 57 deaths as of April 30 — since then, DOCCS mandated reporting points to at least 12 more deaths so far in May.

Today we honor late legendary rapper, songwriter, record producer and Brooklyn native The Notorious B.I.G. (aka Biggie Smalls) and what would have been his 54th birthday.

EDITORIAL: "As the midterm elections loom closer and closer, we advise you to pick up that ballot weapon and use it to stop the onslaught against what remains of the democratic process. Those valuable liberties and assets are diminishing by the moment."

EXCLUSIVE: Sterling K. Brown, one of the most talented actors in television and film today, spoke exclusively with the AmNews about his role as “Man” and working with the cast in the Black women-led film “Is God Is.” Read more here: https://bit.ly/43rMCu.

A bill overturning case law preventing innocent New Yorkers from challenging their guilty pleas with non-DNA evidence resurfaced in the state legislature May 19.

COVER STORY: It's been over 50 years since the New York Kicks last NBA championship. How far the Knicks will go is still to be determined. Read more here: https://bit.ly/4tYoSta 

This week's front page. To subscribe, go to amsterdamnews.com/subscription.

BLACK NEW YORKER: legendary photographer Alex Harsley 4th Street Photo Gallery dates back more than five decades since he first opened the storefront’s doors.

EDITORIAL: "When the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued The New York Times, claiming discrimination against a worker, we were ready to cheer the action."

A new report from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is sounding the alarm and calling for Black America to catch up on our understanding of artificial intelligence technology now, or risk being left behind in what could be an economic tsunami of inequality.

FOOD: SOPO in Midtown's design aligns to their traditional Korean heritage, from the colors red (gochujang, red chili paste), white (rice), and black (hospitality), to the vaulted and textured ceiling resembling a dosirak (a Korean compartmentalized lunch box).

Social constructs and political structures are inextricably interwoven into the fabric of America’s sports culture. Sports has been, and still is, weaponized by those holding political power to influence public opinion and legislation, disrupting the economy in the process.

A new new book presents nearly 200 beautifully printed photographs and tells the story of the largely unknown jazz photographs that photographer Lisette Model made over a decade in the 1950s but that were only recently rediscovered.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed Dr. Ayesha Delany-Brumsey as the city’s first-ever Office of Community Safety commissioner. In a phone interview, she expressed excitement about heading the new agency.

COVER STORY: The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture opened “To Uncover and Reveal to the World: Arturo Schomburg’s Library,” a new exhibition highlighting Schomburg's book collection. Read more here: https://bit.ly/4wpXtm8

Trains are rolling again on the Long Island Rail Road after a deal was reached to end a strike that had shut down the busiest commuter rail system in the country.

The missiles flying over Tehran and the Strait of Hormuz are real. So are skyrocketing gas prices, war jitters, and political exhaustion hanging over Americans already battered by inflation and another ugly election season.

OP-ED: "The Carter G. Woodson Society at Collegiate School is a Black affinity group that is singularly focused on the legacy of intelligence and high academic achievement that has always existed in our community and still does."

Civil rights attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons learned about the Tulsa Race Massacre during college. This revelation inspired him to lead a reparations campaign for survivors and descendants.

This afternoon, Harlem’s annual “Shut 'Em Down” rally takes the streets to honor Malcolm X's 101st birthday. Here is what you need to know about the event. See more here: https://bit.ly/4fpSw6M  

Today we honor Muslim minister and activist Malcolm X (el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz) on his birthday.

"Lisette Model: The Jazz Pictures" presents nearly 200 beautifully printed photographs and tells the story of the largely unknown jazz photographs that Model made over a decade in the 1950s but that were only recently rediscovered.

Local governments have worked hard to lower air-polluting emissions and improve the quality of air in the local environment. While outdoor air pollution levels are trending down, indoor air quality hasn’t seen the same progress.

WEATHER ALERT: A heat advisory remains in effect through Wednesday night. Go to amsterdamnews.com/weather for more information.

Businesses on 125th Street are set to close today from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in honor of Malcolm X's birthday. The event is being led by the December 12 Movement. Read more here: https://bit.ly/4tIPQok