the resurrection of Frederick douglass' the north star

"Can we agree on this one thing? No one is born hating. Let's start
there. Let's work together to help unlearn the hate in those who feel it."
​~ BLS

  
In an interview with Michel Martin on NPR Shaun King explained, "In 1847, Frederick Douglass published one of the most influential antislavery newspapers of its time -- The North Star.  In the newspaper's first issue, the abolitionist, himself formerly enslaved wrote, "It is evident that we must be our own representatives and advocates, not exclusively, but peculiarly, — not distinct from, but in connection with — our white friends."

Martin wrote, "Now, 171 years later, activist and journalist Shaun King and his friend Ben Dixon plan to revive the paper next week. King says that it's "necessary for where we're going and where we are as a country on issues of voting rights, police brutality, mass incarceration," that people have a news source like The North Star. He says he wants people to have the information they need in order to take a stand on these issues."

In the NPR article, Shaun was said, "What Frederick Douglas and Dr. Martin Delany knew all the way back in 1847 was that for 250 years in the United States newspapers really were on the fence about slavery, and what they knew was that we need a periodical that we manage that we curate that isn't on the fence, that's strongly against it."

Shaun continued, "There is kind of this spirit in journalism to tell both sides of the story and to just let the listeners choose what they want to choose, and I understand that and there's a place for it, but on some issues we really do need to take a stand.We felt like instead of starting over from scratch, it would also give us an opportunity to revitalize something beautiful that was started generations ago."

The North Star launches February 14, 2019. 
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