Abolitionist Newspaper Returns 200 Years after Its Launch
2022-02-27
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1The first abolitionist newspaper in the United States is returning to publication more than 200 years after its launch in 1820.
2The new version of the anti-slavery publication The Emancipator is a joint effort by Boston University's Center for Antiracist Research and The Boston Globe newspaper.
3Deborah Douglas and Amber Payne are co-editors-in-chief of the new online publication.
4They say the site will include opinion pieces, multimedia series, and other content by respected scholars and seasoned journalists.
5The goal, they say, is to redirect the national conversation around racial injustice.
6"I like to say it's anti-racism, every day, on purpose," said Douglas.
7She joined the project after working as a journalism professor at DePauw University in Indiana.
8"We are targeting anyone who wants to be a part of the solution to creating an anti-racist society because we think that leads us to our true north, which is democracy."
9The Emancipator was founded in 1820 in Jonesborough, Tennessee, by iron manufacturer Elihu Embree.
10Its stated purpose was "the abolition of slavery" as well as collecting important documents on the subject of slavery.
11The University of Tennessee holds a digital collection of copies of the newspaper.
12The Emancipator reached about 2,000 readers.
13Copies were sent across the South and to readers in several northern cities that were centers of the abolition movement.
14These included Boston, Massachusetts and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
15"Those abolitionists were considered radical and extreme," Douglas said.
16"But that's part of our job as journalists - providing those tools, those perspectives that can help them imagine a different world."
17Similar projects have also recently come online, including The North Star, a media site launched in 2019 by civil rights activist Shaun King and journalist Benjamin Dixon.
18They say its aim is to bring back Frederick Douglass' important anti-slavery newspaper.
19The American scholar, abolitionist and former slave was one of the most influential thinkers of the 1800s.
20Douglas said The Emancipator will be free to the public and donations will support its production.
21The site will center on scholarly work and thought --- not breaking news, she said.
22"This is really deep reporting, deep research and deep analysis that's scholarly driven, but written at a level that everyone can understand," Douglas said, adding "Everyone is invited," to the discussion.
23The publication also hopes to fight racist misinformation by using explanatory videos and written pieces, she said.
24The Emancipator's Amber Payne spoke of another major goal for the publication: reporting about solutions to some of the nation's most difficult racial problems.
25"There are community groups, advocates and legislators who are really taking matters into their own hands so how do we amplify those solutions and get those stories told?" she said.
26Payne joined the project after working at BET.com and Teen Vogue magazine.
27"There's so much scholarly research that just doesn't fit into a neat, 800-word Washington Post op-ed," she said, adding that the new paper is "uniquely positioned."
28The project has already posted a few pieces.
29For the one-year anniversary of the January 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol building, The Emancipator published its discussion with a Harvard social justice professor and commentary from a Boston College poetry professor.
30The Emancipator is centered on the Black community.
31But, Douglas and Payne say it will also report on issues affecting other minority communities, such as the rise in crimes against Asian-Americans during the pandemic.
32I'm Susan Shand.
1The first abolitionist newspaper in the United States is returning to publication more than 200 years after its launch in 1820. 2The new version of the anti-slavery publication The Emancipator is a joint effort by Boston University's Center for Antiracist Research and The Boston Globe newspaper. 3Deborah Douglas and Amber Payne are co-editors-in-chief of the new online publication. They say the site will include opinion pieces, multimedia series, and other content by respected scholars and seasoned journalists. The goal, they say, is to redirect the national conversation around racial injustice. 4"I like to say it's anti-racism, every day, on purpose," said Douglas. She joined the project after working as a journalism professor at DePauw University in Indiana. 5"We are targeting anyone who wants to be a part of the solution to creating an anti-racist society because we think that leads us to our true north, which is democracy." 6The Emancipator was founded in 1820 in Jonesborough, Tennessee, by iron manufacturer Elihu Embree. Its stated purpose was "the abolition of slavery" as well as collecting important documents on the subject of slavery. The University of Tennessee holds a digital collection of copies of the newspaper. 7The Emancipator reached about 2,000 readers. Copies were sent across the South and to readers in several northern cities that were centers of the abolition movement. These included Boston, Massachusetts and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 8"Those abolitionists were considered radical and extreme," Douglas said. "But that's part of our job as journalists - providing those tools, those perspectives that can help them imagine a different world." 9Similar projects have also recently come online, including The North Star, a media site launched in 2019 by civil rights activist Shaun King and journalist Benjamin Dixon. They say its aim is to bring back Frederick Douglass' important anti-slavery newspaper. The American scholar, abolitionist and former slave was one of the most influential thinkers of the 1800s. 10Douglas said The Emancipator will be free to the public and donations will support its production. The site will center on scholarly work and thought --- not breaking news, she said. 11"This is really deep reporting, deep research and deep analysis that's scholarly driven, but written at a level that everyone can understand," Douglas said, adding "Everyone is invited," to the discussion. 12The publication also hopes to fight racist misinformation by using explanatory videos and written pieces, she said. 13The Emancipator's Amber Payne spoke of another major goal for the publication: reporting about solutions to some of the nation's most difficult racial problems. 14"There are community groups, advocates and legislators who are really taking matters into their own hands so how do we amplify those solutions and get those stories told?" she said. 15Payne joined the project after working at BET.com and Teen Vogue magazine. 16"There's so much scholarly research that just doesn't fit into a neat, 800-word Washington Post op-ed," she said, adding that the new paper is "uniquely positioned." 17The project has already posted a few pieces. For the one-year anniversary of the January 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol building, The Emancipator published its discussion with a Harvard social justice professor and commentary from a Boston College poetry professor. 18The Emancipator is centered on the Black community. But, Douglas and Payne say it will also report on issues affecting other minority communities, such as the rise in crimes against Asian-Americans during the pandemic. 19I'm Susan Shand. 20The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. 21________________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23abolition - n. being against something, such as slavery 24scholar - n. a person who has studied a subject for a long time and knows a lot about it 25journalist - n. the activity or job of collecting, writing, and editing news stories for newspapers, magazines, television, or radio 26society - n. the people of a particular country, area, time, etc., thought of especially as an organized community 27radical - adj. very new and different from what is traditional or ordinary 28perspective - n. a way of thinking about and understanding something (such as a particular issue or life in general) 29analysis - n. a careful study of something to learn about its parts, what they do, and how they are related to each other 30advocate - v. a person who argues for or supports a cause or policy 31amplify - v. to give more information about 32unique - adj. special or unlike other things 33We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, and visit our Facebook page.