New York Times releases print zines celebrating Harlem Renaissance Centennial

Today, The New York Times honors this centennial with a first-of-its-kind print initiative, debuting two twelve-page zine inserts in its Sunday edition.

Titled ‘Legacy,’ the campaign is a tribute to the underground press that flourished during the Harlem Renaissance. These original zines were not only vehicles for local news but also platforms for powerful poetry, prose, radical essays and experiential writing.

The Times’ modern take on this tradition captures the spirit of the era while shedding light on untold stories of Black excellence, achievement and intergenerational wealth.

Curated by a dedicated team of Black writers, storytellers, artists, designers and creatives, the Legacy zines explore themes of upward mobility and lasting change. Among the featured stories is that of The Bradfords, a fourth-generation family of Black ranchers in Oklahoma, who reflect on their journey to preserve their ancestors’ legacies as Black entrepreneurs in America.

This initiative is sponsored by US Bank as part of its ‘Legacy Fulfilled Project,’ a broader effort to support communities of color and underserved populations in building generational wealth. The project aligns with the bank’s Access Commitment, a long-term strategy launched in 2021 aimed at closing the wealth gap in the United States.

The first zine opens with a letter from Scott Ford, president of wealth management at US Bank, which sets the tone for a national conversation on Black wealth and underscores the financial industry’s role in making consumers feel valued and represented.

The second zine delves into the globally renowned contributions of Black creatives in arts, music, dance, literature and beyond. It celebrates the enduring impact of the Harlem Renaissance on today’s culture and creativity.

The design of the zines draws inspiration from the original publications of the Harlem Renaissance. Magazines like The Crisis, Opportunity and The Messenger were lifelines for the Black community, offering a platform for voices that mainstream media often ignored.

With a handmade approach to texture, color and composition, The Times’ new zines aim to mirror the bootstrapped efforts of the era’s original creators.

A standout feature of the zines is the typeface “VTC Sarah,” created by Tré Seals, founder of Vocal Type and a leading advocate for diversity in design. The typeface is inspired by Seals’ great-great-grandparents, Sarah and Henry Johnson, whose marriage certificate became the foundation for this design. Sarah and Henry were pillars of their community, providing financial support when banks would not.

The work was ideated and developed by T Brand Studio, the in-house content studio within New York Times Advertising.

“Legacy aims to initiate a national dialogue about Black affluence, fueled by the impact and influence of the Harlem Renaissance. Zines were self-published works originating during the Harlem Renaissance,” Tanisha Sykes, editorial director, T Brand Studio, told The Drum.

“Artists and writers utilized these literary journals to birth a powerful underground press of poetry and prose and experiential writing,” Sykes says. “Inspired by the tradition of Zines, our 12-page Zine highlights the pillars of commerce, community and culture through a series of essays, poems and reported pieces that amplify how the Harlem Renaissance continues to inspire a canon of thinkers, entrepreneurs and creatives today on a mission to build wealth.”

The Legacy zines will be distributed with The New York Times’ Sunday edition, accompanied by a paid post and digital display ads on the Times’s homepage.

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