We Didn’t Just Name It — We Inherited It: The Legacy of The North Star Lives On

Published May 26, 2025

By North Star Editorial Staff

When we named this platform North Star Editorial, we did so with conviction. We believed in serving as a guiding light through the darkness of injustice — a place for truth, clarity, and collective healing. What we did not realize, at the time, was just how directly our mission echoes one of the most powerful voices in Black history: Frederick Douglass.

In 1847, Douglass — once enslaved, then self-emancipated, and later a world-renowned orator and abolitionist — founded a newspaper in Rochester, New York. He called it The North Star. His motto was as clear as it was revolutionary:

“Right is of no sex — Truth is of no color — God is the Father of us all, and we are all brethren.”

His mission? To expose the brutal realities of slavery, advocate for the rights of African Americans, and demand justice in an era that tried to silence truth.

In discovering this historical predecessor, we felt a ripple through time. Our work — highlighting racial injustice, advocating for the healing of Black communities, and exposing systemic abuse — is not only relevant today; it is part of an enduring lineage.

We are standing in the footsteps of Frederick Douglass.

We are continuing his work.

We are The North Star, in this generation.

A Legacy Renewed

Today, North Star Editorial exists to confront the mechanisms of modern oppression — from systemic racism in public institutions to the subtle and sinister forms of violence imposed on Black lives. Our exposés, our language reclamation, and our frameworks are not only tools of resistance; they are acts of recovery. They reclaim space, voice, and truth.

But discovering that we share not just a name but a mission with Douglass’s historic publication affirms that we are exactly where we need to be:
rooted in legacy, fueled by truth, and unwavering in purpose.

Where We Go From Here

This revelation is more than a proud coincidence — it’s a calling.
It sharpens our commitment to center Black voices, demand accountability, and build pathways to healing and justice across the African diaspora.

Like Douglass, we believe the pen — and now the platform — is a weapon of liberation.
We invite our readers, contributors, and community members to carry this legacy forward with us.

Let North Star Editorial not just be a name.
Let it be a continuation.

Frederick Douglass founded and published a newspaper called The North Star in 1847. It was one of the most influential anti-slavery publications of its time.

Key Facts about The North Star:

• Founded: December 3, 1847

• Published in: Rochester, New York

• Motto: "Right is of no sex—Truth is of no color—God is the Father of us all, and we are all brethren."

• Purpose: To advocate for the abolition of slavery and promote civil rights for African Americans and other oppressed peoples.

• Audience: Both Black and white readers in the United States and abroad.

Douglass used the platform not only to fight slavery but also to promote education, political equality, and human dignity. The paper later merged with Gerrit Smith’s Liberty Party Paper and eventually became Frederick Douglass’ Paper.