LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION paying tribute to the life of Wilbert A. Tatum,
longtime publisher of THE AMSTERDAM NEWS

WHEREAS, It is with great sorrow and deep regret that this Legislative
Body records the passing of Wilbert A. Tatum, noting the significance of
his purposeful life and accomplishments; and
WHEREAS, Wilbert "Bill" Tatum of New York City, New York, the distin-
guished Publisher Emeritus, CEO and Chairman of the Board of THE AMSTER-
DAM NEWS, died on Wednesday, February 25, 2009, at the age of 76; and
WHEREAS, Wilbert A. Tatum was the longtime Publisher of THE AMSTERDAM
NEWS, New York City's oldest African-American newspaper, and one of the
oldest ethnic papers in the country; and
WHEREAS, A great advocate and a penetrating writer, Wilbert A. Tatum
is an iconic and vitally important figure in both journalism and civil
rights; his courage, his tenacity, his sagacity, and his advocacy, are
unparalleled in African-American journalism; and
WHEREAS, Wilbert A. Tatum began his esteemed career as a community
activist more than half a century ago as Executive Director of the Coop-
er Square Committee, a housing organization of the Lower East Side,
whose original mission was to stop the city's Slum Clearance Committee
from leveling housing in the area; and
WHEREAS, In his efforts to defeat the city's plan and replace it with
his alternative plan for Cooper Square, Wilbert A. Tatum came to the
attention of local leaders, who agreed with his vision and set into
motion the actions necessary to designate Cooper Square an urban renewal
area and allocated the first city funds that would begin the implementa-
tion of Tatum's plan; and
WHEREAS, In the 1960s, THE AMSTERDAM NEWS, not yet owned by Wilbert
Tatum, had become the premier newspaper for the Civil Rights and Black
Nationalist movements; the paper gave a viable platform to both the
non-violence and civil disobedience philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. as well as the Black Nationalist views of Elijah Muhammad and
Malcolm X; and
WHEREAS, Wilbert A. Tatum, along with a group of businessmen,
purchased THE AMSTERDAM NEWS in 1971; under the AmNews Corporation the
paper was observed to have made a transformation to a more "liberal"
appeal; until, in 1984, when Wilbert bought the paper outright and
became its publisher and editor; and
WHEREAS, Wilbert A. Tatum had a brief stay in conventional publication
in 1993, when he was named publisher and editor of the NEW YORK POST
amid the bankruptcy fight at the paper, as well as discrimination alle-
gations at both the NEW YORK POST and NEW YORK DAILY NEWS; and
WHEREAS, Under his exceptional leadership, THE AMSTERDAM NEWS contin-
ued to publish amid the disappearance of brother and sister African-Am-
erican newspapers across the country; Wilbert A. Tatum took the paper
back to what has been described as a "more militant and progressive
position" and its readership and influence only grew; and
WHEREAS, Wilbert A. Tatum saw it as his ambition, mission and accom-
plishment to grow the Harlem-based publication into the world-renowned
paper that it is today; and
WHEREAS, In 1997, Wilbert A. Tatum's daughter, Elinor, proudly became
editor-in-chief of THE AMSTERDAM NEWS; following in the tradition of her
father, the paper continues to be a venue for the issues, concerns and
voices of the African-American community; and
WHEREAS, Wilbert A. Tatum is a distinguished graduate of Lincoln
University; other notable graduates include: Supreme Court Justice Bruce
McMarion Wright, Lincoln University graduate, Class of 1942, named Judge

of the Year in 1983, National Bar Association, 1975; The Honorable Herb
J. Wesson Jr., Lincoln University graduate, Class of 1999, elected in
2002 as Speaker of the California State Assembly; and Pennsylvania's
first African-American United States Congressman (1958), Robert N.C.
Nix, Sr., Lincoln University graduate, Class of 1928; and
WHEREAS, Wilbert A. Tatum will forever serve as a strong pioneering
role model for both African-American men and women, as well as all Amer-
icans, for he exemplified the virtues of family, sacrifice, excellence,
determination and self-confidence; and
WHEREAS, He is survived by his wife, Susan, and daughter, Elinor, both
of whom felt privileged to be a part of his life and rejoiced in his
many achievements; and
WHEREAS, Wilbert A. Tatum, throughout his career and purposeful life,
served his community with the utmost integrity and devotion, while
simultaneously shaping the history of African-American journalism; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to pay
tribute to the life of Wilbert A. Tatum, longtime publisher of THE AMST-
ERDAM NEWS; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the family of Wilbert A. Tatum.