In 1838, at the age of 20, Douglass escaped to freedom via the Underground Railroad, a network of secret routs and safe houses established during the nineteenth century and used by enslaved African Americans to escape into free states and Canada. That year, he married Anna Murray, and the couple took Douglass as their married name, inspired by the main character in Sir Walter Scott’s poem The Lady of the Lake. They remained married for 44 years until Anna’s death in 1882.

North Star refers to the newspaper The North Star, which Douglass established on his return to the US in 1847. Its motto was ‘Right is of no Sex – Truth is of no Color – God is the Father of us all, and we are all brethren.’ It was used to not only denounce slavery, but to fight for the emancipation of women and other oppressed groups.

Historical visual research and the use of archival sources form the backdrop of Julien’s filmmaking, photographic and cinematic processes. The visual research is then further expanded not only while on the film set but also during the post-production stage. His works, flowing along poetic narratives, do not adhere to linearity but evolve in a musical notational choreography. He says, ‘I pay great attention to set décor, lighting, performance, mise-en-scène, as well as editing, sonic, and visual effects to create a space for meditation on political and cultural questions.’

Isaac Julien, CBE RA (born 1960) is a critically acclaimed British artist and filmmaker. In 2018, Julien joined UC Santa Cruz where he is the distinguished professor of the arts and leads the IJ Lab together with Arts Professor Mark Nash. Recent international solo exhibitions include: Isaac Julien: Western Union: Small Boats, Neuberger Museum, New York (2020); Isaac Julien: Frederick Douglass: Lessons of the Hour, ​SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah (2019); Looking for Langston at Tate Britain (2019); and Playtime at LACMA (2019). Julien has previously exhibited at venues including Museum of Modern Art, New York (2013), Art Institute of Chicago (2013), Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego (2012), and Pompidou Centre Paris (2005).