today in black history

March 18, 2024

Civil rights pioneer Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth was born on this date in 1922 in Birmingham, Alabama.

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About NorthStarNews.com


NSnewstv.com is a Black public affairs and news service that originated in 2002 as thenorthstarnetwork.com (“The NorthStar Network”). Its alternative news coverage quickly gained a following, averaging some 800,000 impressions per month when the site went offline in June of 2005 for retooling. During its initial run NorthStar was credentialed to cover the Democratic Presidential Debate in Baltimore, Maryland, the 2004 Democratic National Convention, the 2004 Republican National Convention and the Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Conference. In addition, a range of media outlets cited NorthStar content, including The Louisville Courier-Journal, Bergen Record, Black Commentator.com, the Fox News Channel, NewsMax, CNN, MSNBC, Trumpet Magazine and others.

NSnewstv.com inherited its name from the 19th century newspaper, The North Star, founded by abolitionist Frederick Douglass. An orator with no equal, Mr. Douglass understood the power and necessity of communication for the advancement of Blacks in the United States. The North Star championed the abolitionist movement and its name reflected the northernmost terminus, Canada, for slaves seeking their freedom. The “north star” was the constellation that literally illuminated the route for slaves escaping the south under the cover of night.

Our mission is simple – to provide news and information from a perspective that is relevant to the history and daily experiences of Black people in this nation. It is our pledge to do so by adhering to the highest standards of journalism, taking particular care to be objective in our reporting, fair in our editorial position and open to diverse and even contrary points of view. Our goal is to lead a 21st century discourse on the transformation of the Black community through open debate and dialogue.

In the spirit of The North Star, NSnewstv.com serves as a source of news and information for Black citizens who wish to be full participants in American politics and business, but are not receiving information from “mainstream” media outlets to enable their civic engagement. While NSnewstv.com is an objective source for news, it also serves as a source that recognizes, acknowledges and caters to the complexity of viewpoints within the Black community.

Our name is symbolic with our commitment to be a source of enlightened reporting and commentary. In the journalistic tradition of Frederick Douglass, we will be fearless in distilling the truth and relentless in our pursuit of issues that are germane to societal conditions confronting Black Americans. Like the constellation that inspired Douglass, we intend to illuminate the path toward full recognition of Blacks’ citizenship rights.