ARTICLES THIS WEEK

I Hiked Across the State of Delaware This Past Weekend. Then Visited a Memorial Dedicated to Harriet Tubman by Donney Rose

As the morning temperature began to rise, and we were surpassing the multitude of mile markers, I thought about what it was to be a free-moving Black American who purposely chose to participate in an excursion that African ancestors did not have the option of in order to acquire freedom. We occasionally heard gunshots off in the distance while walking as we were in proximity to hunting territory, and I thought about the innumerable amount of enslaved people who trekked throughout the state of Maryland and Delaware in hopes of arriving at the free territory of Pennsylvania.

White Supremacy On Trial: Kyle Rittenhouse, Capitol Rioters and the Killers of Ahmaud Arbery by Kendi King

I am watching the progression of all of these cases very closely. Each one has drastic implications for the country's criminal justice system and how serious it is willing to take the growing threat of white supremacy.

If it is not treated as the immense danger that it is, I fear, and in many ways hope, that the very thing that built this twisted country will be its downfall.

When the Phrase "Democracy is Under Threat" is a Literal Call for Violence Against Election Workers. by Donney Rose

Reuters.com has conducted months of investigation into the violent threats made by self-proclaimed “patriots” against election workers/officials since the conclusion of the 2020 presidential election. Of the nine people who admitted to Reuters that they had threatened election workers that totaled nearly two dozen harassing communications to six election officials in four states, eight of them spoke on the record and identified themselves by name. All of them are still enjoying their freedom to harass and intimidate.

On Julius Jones and the Ongoing Trial of the N-Word by Donney Rose

What chance does a flawed human have when it is no more than an epithet packaged in skin that darkens beyond a reasonable doubt? The ‘nigger’ has been denied justice for generations because the HUMAN has been deemed a figment of the court’s imagination. But the ‘nigger’ is the actual imaginary character that lives on after the human is killed & killed again.

Native American Community Members of California's Riverside School District Still Demanding Accountability for Racist Display in Classroom by Donney Rose

Perhaps there is no institution in the U.S. where tone-deaf and/or outright racist attitudes towards Native Americans play out more than the public school system. One such example is the teaching of “SoCahToa”, which is a shortened phrase for teaching trigonometry functions in math that also sounds like a “Native phrase.” For years, Native American students have voiced disdain over math teachers who mimicked Native vocal inflections or went as far as appropriating Native American customs while teaching this lesson. Last month, Candice Reed, a white teacher and 12-year veteran of California’s Riverside Unified School District, went viral after a video recorded by a Native American student showed her taking a “SoCahToa” lesson to wildly offensive extremes.

PODCASTS THIS WEEK

The Breakdown with Shaun King: Ep. 532 - The Democratic Party is struggling at a time when they should be crushing it [November 8, 2021]

Democrats control the House, Senate, and the Presidency. Conservatives led a failed insurrection at the American Capitol earlier this year and are literally going to prison. This should be the time that Democrats step up to lead, but instead, they are throwing it all away.

The Breakdown with Shaun King: Ep. 533 - I am gravely concerned they might actually execute Julius Jones. [November 9, 2021]

We are now just a few days away from the scheduled execution of Julius Jones. I honestly never thought we’d get here. The Oklahoma Board of Pardon and Parole has now ruled TWICE that Julius Jones should be removed from death row and that his sentence should be commuted to life with parole. But Governor Stitt of Oklahoma is ignoring his own board. I’ve never seen it in my life.

I need you to stop what you are doing and do 2 things for us, please.

Sign our super petition @ FreeJuliusJones.com - when you fill that out, it sends out emails to everybody involved in the case.

Then, save this number in your phone as Julius Jones: 405-777-7840 and call it several times a day to demand that the Governor listens to his own board of pardon and parole. Our staff @GrassrootsLaw will be there to coach you through it.

The Breakdown with Shaun King: Ep. 534 - Why I’m more encouraged today that the men who murdered Ahmaud Arbery will be convicted [November 10, 2021]

Yesterday was an ESSENTIAL day in the trial of the bigots that murdered Ahmaud Arbery. The testimony was as important and as damning as anything we will hear during the entire trial. And for the first time in a few weeks, I’m feeling more hopeful about the possibility that these men will be convicted. Let me unpack and explain it.

The Breakdown with Shaun King: Episode 535 - The lynching of Ahmaud Ahmaud Arbery. [November 12, 2021]

This is one of the most important civil rights cases in the history of our country. As the trial of the McMichael’s and Roddie Bryan begins, we’re rerunning the first Breakdown episode examining the heinous murder of Ahmaud Arbery.

#InTheseTweets | 86th Edition

“In These Tweets” is The North Star’s weekly cultural dive into trending topics on Twitter impacting our community, hosted by TNS Chief Content Editor, Donney Rose. This week, Donney looks at the tragedy at Travis Scott's Astroworld Fest, the congressional terror that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faces from colleagues, and white folks in 2020 vs white folks in 2021 on matters of Black lives.

We are outchea in these tweets!

This Week’s Song of Freedom

The North Star will be sending out a weekly song of inspiration, hope and liberation from our These Songs of Freedom playlist. This week’s freedom song is “I’ll Take You There” by The Staple Singers. Listen here on Spotify or here on Apple Music.