North Star Study Group borrows its name from both the nineteenth-century anti-slavery newspaper published by the African-American social reformer and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and the ‘North Star’ celestial navigation point (also known as Polaris, Náhookos Biko’, Dhruva, Stella Marris, Niqirtsuituq or Na-gah amongst other names).
The North Star, which was used for navigation by Native American peoples and transatlantic seafarers (like the crew of the Mayflower) alike, later became a key reference point for African-American enslaved people using the Underground Railroad to escape into free states and Canada.
With these references in mind, North Star Study Group seeks to bring people and their interrelated histories together in the navigation of (potentially) unfamiliar terrain in the spirit of openness, non-discrimination, improvisation and innovation.
Would you like to be involved?
You can register your interest in being part of North Star Study Group, or in supporting the project in other ways by filling in a short online form – follow the link below to the form…
North Star Study Group sounds great – sign me up!!
I’ve still got questions…
Here’s a few FAQs – please do get in touch if you have other questions…