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The following is the first in a series of collaborations between The Paper. and the New Mexico Black Leadership Council set to run throughout Black History Month. In future installments, we will explore how our state’s diverse cultures have impacted and continue to impact the New Mexico landscape.
The North Star has always been more than just a celestial body. Fixed in the sky, unshaken by time, it has long guided explorers, dreamers and the lost toward something greater. For abolitionist Harriet Tubman, it was a literal lifeline to freedom, a guiding force that could be counted on through even the darkest nights. The New Mexico Black Leadership Council (NMBLC) carries that same spirit forward, using our North Star goals to illuminate a path toward justice, equity and long-term community resilience. Right now, the question we all face is, “What is your North Star?”
Light in the Darkness
Born into slavery in 1822, Tubman understood oppression not as an abstraction, but as a daily, brutal reality. Escape seemed impossible for so many, but Tubman found something immovable to guide her: the North Star. With neither literacy nor a formal education, she read the natural world instead — tracking rivers, listening to the wind and always moving toward Polaris, which pointed to freedom.
Tubman’s heroism was not just about finding her own way. She returned again and again to lead others northward, navigating forests, swamps and the ever-present danger of slave catchers. The North Star, constant and true, was more than just a celestial landmark — it was a symbol of unbreakable resolve and the belief that no matter how dark the night, there is always a way forward.
Direction in Uncertain Times
These days we are not running through dense forests to escape the physical shackles of slavery, but many of us are still on the run — from injustice, from systemic oppression, from the burdens of inequality. Just as Tubman must have once questioned where that light led, we are called on to search out our own North Star.
At NMBLC we believe that setting clear North Star goals can help us all navigate modern challenges and create a more just, resilient society. These guiding principles serve as a steady light in turbulent times, ensuring that our progress does not falter, even when the road ahead remains uncertain.
Our North Star Goals
The North Star goals that inform programs and projects at NMBLC include:
- Promoting true multiculturalism in New Mexico—challenging our state’s oversimplified tricultural myth that ignores the presence and contributions of Black/African American, Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian communities.
- Supporting long-term community resilience — ensuring that Black and multicultural communities thrive economically, politically and socially.
- Elevating New Mexico in health, education and economic opportunity — ensuring that historically excluded communities are not left behind.
- Fostering leadership and workforce development — creating pathways for Black and multicultural individuals to excel — and empowering young leaders through initiatives like Roots Summer Leadership Academy, where the next generation gains the tools to lead and uplift their communities.
These goals offer a framework for anyone seeking their own guiding principles. Just as Tubman used Polaris to direct her path, we must determine which unwavering beliefs will lead us forward.
Defining Your North Star
Finding a personal North Star means figuring out what truly matters to you. Is it justice, ensuring that marginalized voices are amplified? Is it truth, challenging misinformation and rewriting narratives that exclude Black and multicultural contributions? Is it community, building systems of support for those who have been historically overlooked?
Whatever it is, the lessons from Tubman and NMBLC are clear: Once you identify your guiding principles, follow them relentlessly. Progress is not made in a straight line — it is won through persistence, sacrifice, and unassailable belief.
Lessons from Tubman
Tubman’s journey holds potent lessons for anyone striving for change. Whether you are an activist, an educator, a leader or simply someone trying to find direction, consider the following principles:
- Stay Focused – Tubman never wavered, despite bounty hunters and unimaginable dangers. In today’s world, distractions abound, but commitment to a higher purpose ensures steady progress.
- Help Others Find Their Way – Freedom was never just about Tubman; she risked everything to return and lead others. In our present fight for equality, uplifting others and standing up for our core values remains just as vital.
- Trust in the Unseen but Certain – The North Star was always there, even when it was obscured by clouds. Likewise, having faith in truth, justice, and community can sustain us through adversity.
- Keep Moving Forward – Tubman famously said, “If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If there’s shouting after you, keep going. Don’t ever stop. Keep going.” Her words remind us that even when the road seems impassable, progress follows unrelenting determination.
Sharing Stories, Shaping Futures
At NMBLC storytelling is a North Star — a way to ensure that history is not erased, that voices are heard and that futures are shaped with intention. Through initiatives like our collaboration with the New Mexico Asian Family Center, True New Mexico — which challenges incomplete, outdated cultural narratives — and our SONKE (Sharing Our Narratives, Knowledge and Experiences) theme for 2025 (from sonke, Zulu for “all of us”), NMBLC advocates for the power of collective memory and shared experience.
Just as Tubman’s liberation efforts relied on community support, today’s fight for equality depends on all of us, living and working together. Your story matters. Your presence matters. Your guiding stars matter.
Navigating by Our Stars
Forces that seek to erase Black history and silence historically excluded voices are still hard at work today. The fight for justice is far from over, and every one of us has a role to play. Federal attacks on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives are not just policy battles; they are deliberate attempts to erase entire communities from our national consciousness.
We can look to Tubman’s North Star and NMBLC’s North Star goals as reminders that the way forward is always lit by courage, persistence and an unwavering belief in and commitment to justice.
Moving Toward the Light
Tubman’s North Star was freedom, and she followed it relentlessly — not only for herself, but also for others. NMBLC’s North Stars are equity, representation, opportunity and ensuring that every New Mexican — regardless of background, ethnicity or socioeconomic status — has the chance to thrive.
The journey is long, and the road is uncertain. But the North Star never falters, and we can draw inspiration from its constancy. The future is unwritten, and the pen is in our hands.
So, what is your North Star? And, more importantly, will you follow it?
Learn more about NMBLC and get involved at nmblc.org. Read and subscribe to our community newspaper UpLift Chronicles at upliftnewmexico.org.
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As Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground,” reminds us: reaching higher ground is more than just a climb—it’s a calling. It’s a tireless push toward justice, the unshakable faith that a better future exists beyond the horizon.