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Ibram X. Kendi and Howard University ready The Emancipator for a third act

Poynter · Dave Cantor · last updated

After layoffs, questions and a quiet stretch, the antiracist publication plans a relaunch at Howard University sometime in 2026

As journalists voice concerns over newsrooms mortgaging progress on staff diversification, Ibram X. Kendi’s semi-dormant antiracist publication, The Emancipator, is set to reemerge.

The publication is set to relaunch at Howard University sometime in 2026, though the exact structure of the new partnership remains unclear. A university press contact and a Kendi representative did not provide a precise date, and Kendi said the formal relationship is still being worked out — it’s “more or less theoretical at this point.”

The upcoming relaunch will be the outlet’s third iteration: the first, a partnership between Boston University and The Boston Globe; the second came after the Globe ended its relationship with the publication; and now, the third chapter at Howard University.

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