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What is The North Star?
Originally founded in 1847 by Frederick Douglass and Martin Delany to courageously confront the scourge of slavery head-on, The North Star was relaunched in 2018 by Shaun King with the blessing of the family and estate of Frederick Douglass. 174 years after The North Star was first birthed, our mission continues in the tradition of an unapologetic fight for freedom. Our weapon of choice? A media outlet that centers the experiences, struggles, and stories of those who exist outside the margins.
We are an independent, Black-owned and operated grassroots media platform for liberation-journalism focused on politics, power, equity, race, policing, mass incarceration, organizing change, and more. We tell stories of beauty and pain, success and struggle. We write and speak with uncompromising candor, context, emotion, and culture.
Since relaunching The North Star brand, we’ve produced over 2,000 original articles and 6 original podcast series with over 500 episodes. When you subscribe, you will have full access to Shaun King’s daily column, every episode of his popular daily news podcast, The Breakdown, and every article, commentary, and podcast episode from our brilliant team.
Why subscribe?
We are 100% funded by everyday people just like you. Unlike almost every other media outlet in America, we have never received a single penny of venture capital or corporate funding.
This is on purpose.
We are able to speak truth to power without fear or hesitation because our only responsibility is to you. This purity of purpose is at the core of what makes us unique. It’s also why we need your support to remain true to our mission.
WE NEED YOU. Join us in our fight to elevate voices of truth by becoming a monthly or annual subscriber here.
Give a friend or family member a gift subscription here.
Paying subscribers get:
Access to every article, newsletter, and podcast we publish
Access to our archives of over 2,500 articles and podcast episodes
Full commenting privileges on articles
Subscriber-only content and events
What am I funding?
Your monthly or annual membership funds our writers, editors, graphic and web designers, sound engineers, social media staff, accounting team, and more. Every full-time employee of The North Star receives a true living wage, full health insurance, paid sick-leave, and generous vacation days. Your support also underwrites the costs of our photographs, software, email systems, marketing, legal compliance, and customer support.
We are proud that our company has survived the pandemic so far, but that was only because of the generous support from everyday people from all over the world.
