Introducing The Emancipator: A New Antiracist Newsroom

Veteran journalists partner with Boston Globe Media, Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, to launch digital news outlet to reframe the national conversation on racial justice

BOSTON, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A diverse team of veteran journalists and leading academic scholars announced today the launch of The Emancipator, www.theemancipator.org, a new multimedia newsroom whose mission is to reframe the national conversation on race and present possible solutions toward an antiracist future. Building on the tradition and impact of 19th-century antislavery newspapers that hastened abolition, The Emancipator is reimagined for a 21st-century audience to amplify critical voices, ideas, debates, and evidence-based commentary to hasten racial justice.

Led by co-editors in chief Deborah D. Douglas and Amber Payne – both veteran journalists with extensive backgrounds in multiplatform media – The Emancipator will become the leading nonpartisan, multicultural digital platform for activists, scholars, subject-matter experts, institutions, and the general public to explore social justice conversations and news.

"At The Emancipator, we believe an antiracist future is possible," said Douglas and Payne. "However, that means every industry, including the news media, must step up to provide solutions. The Emancipator will highlight issues tied to systemic reasons for racial inequality and the solutions to achieve equal opportunity and outcomes. The paywall-free digital publication will elevate the voices and leadership of people who have been systematically excluded from narratives, provide accurate and authentic framing, and tell stories in expansive, honest, challenging, and responsible ways that move society forward."

To mark the conclusion of Financial Literacy Month, The Emancipator launched today its first issue and debut editorial series, which explores key opportunities to close the racial wealth gap, including credit reporting, student loan relief, and entrepreneurship and access to business capital. The series includes virtual events, workshops, and social-first content, all of which can be accessed for free at www.theemancipator.org. Additional events and programming, including opportunities to connect with the team, will be announced in the coming weeks.

The Emancipator's newsroom is anchored by support from co-founding institutions, the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research and Boston Globe Media. Revenue from individual philanthropy, foundation grants, corporate sponsorship and live events will help ensure that all content is free to the public.

Members of The Emancipator's founding team include:

Ibram X. Kendi, co-founder of The Emancipator, is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University, and the founding director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research. He is the National Book Award-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of many books, including "Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America" and "How to Be an Antiracist."

Bina Venkataraman, co-founder of The Emancipator, is an editor-at-large in Globe Opinion. She served as editorial page editor of The Boston Globe, leading its editorial board and overseeing its Opinion section from 2019-2022 and previously taught at MIT; directed policy initiatives at the Broad Institute; and served as senior advisor for climate change innovation in the Obama administration.

Deborah D. Douglas, co-editor in chief at The Emancipator, most recently served as the Eugene S. Pulliam Distinguished Visiting Professor of Journalism at DePauw University and has held leadership roles at The OpEd Project, which amplifies underrepresented expert voices; and MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. She is the author of "Moon U.S. Civil Rights Trail: A Traveler's Guide to the People, Places, and Events That Made the Movement."

Amber Payne, co-editor in chief at The Emancipator, was a 2021 Nieman Fellow at Harvard University and has held leadership roles at several prominent national outlets including BET.com; Teen Vogue and Them; and NBC. In 2015, she launched NBCBLK, a section of NBCNews.com dedicated to elevating the conversation around Black identity, social issues, and culture.

Kimberly Atkins Stohr, senior columnist at The Emancipator, is also a senior opinion writer and columnist for Boston Globe Opinion. She curates Unbound, the newsletter for The Emancipator, and is an MSNBC contributor and frequent host of NPR's "On Point."

Matt Kruth, social media director at The Emancipator, has worked with leading global brands like the NBA and NFL. He served as a content strategist at Hawkfish during the 2020 election cycle. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kruth was part of a team that produced innovative public health messaging that reached millions of people on social media.

Cristal Balis, marketing and special projects lead at The Emancipator, is responsible for initiatives that will expand the reach, engagement and impact of The Emancipator platform. She brings more than 15 years experience in marketing communications, event production, and nonprofit fundraising to the position, including work for The Walt Disney Company, Leo Burnett, The University of Chicago, and Howard Brown Health Center.

The Emancipator is supported by an Advisory Board of prominent leaders and thinkers: Joy Reid, Eddie Glaude, Sewell Chan, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Emily Ramshaw, S. Mitra Kalita, Jelani Cobb, Annette Gordon-Reed, Heather McGhee, Peniel Joseph, Jose Antonio Vargas, Julian Brave NoiseCat, Ian F. Haney López, Sunny Bates, and Dr. Monica Wang, associate director of narrative for the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research.

The Emancipator is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, home to its co-founding institutions and to a storied history of leading news outlets and abolitionist thinkers, including The Liberator, one of the country's first abolitionist newspapers. Its newsroom will cover national issues and will feature commentary from experts and thought leaders from across the country. The Emancipator is currently hiring for two additional positions and plans to continue growing its newsroom. To explore current opportunities, visit theemancipator.org/contact.

To learn more about The Emancipator and to sign up for the Unbound newsletter, visit www.theemancipator.org. For updates on social media, follow The Emancipator on Twitter at @the_emancipator. Individuals can support The Emancipator's vision for an antiracist future by joining in this essential mission theemancipator.org/donate.

About The Emancipator
The Emancipator is the leading free nonpartisan and multicultural digital platform for activists, experts, institutions, and the general public to explore social justice perspectives. Through evidenced-based journalism, academic critiques, and community conversations, The Emancipator will resurrect and reimagine the first abolitionist newspaper in the United States for a modern news era.

About the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research
The mission of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research is to convene researchers and practitioners from various disciplines to figure out novel and practical ways to understand, explain, and solve seemingly intractable problems of racial inequity and injustice. The Center fosters exhaustive racial research, research-based policy innovation, data-driven educational and advocacy campaigns, and narrative-change initiatives. The Center is working toward building an antiracist society that ensures equity and justice for all.

About Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC
Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC ("BGMP") is a multimedia organization that provides news, entertainment, and commentary across multiple brands and platforms. Through its properties, BGMP offers leading integrated advertising solutions that connect communities, ideas, and causes through powerful storytelling and multimedia experiences. BGMP properties include The Boston Globe, Globe.com, Boston.com, STAT, Globe Publishing Services, Globe Direct, Globe Events, and Studio/B. 

Press inquiries:  [email protected]
Partner inquiries: Heidi Flood, Boston Globe Media, [email protected]; Jessica McKnight, Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, [email protected]

SOURCE The Emancipator