About NorthStar BooksNorthStar Books was founded in the mid-1990s in Baltimore, Maryland, by my father, Robert Everett Kerr Jr., affectionately known as “Pop.” His brick-and-mortar bookstore specialized in Afrocentric works that centered Black voices, stories, and scholarship.
“If you want to keep a secret from Black folks, put it in a book.” Pop lived by a saying he once heard as a young man: “If you want to keep a secret from Black folks, put it in a book.” He took that as a challenge, becoming a lifelong reader, truth-seeker, and lover of wisdom. |
Robert Everett Kerr, Jr. ("Pop") and Cathy Ames Turner, Ph.D
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As his oldest child, I honor his passion for learning and for uncovering the stories that shape who we are. Pop believed that his children and grandchildren should not only find the “secrets,” but live empowered by them. Though he passed away in 2006, his influence continues to shape our family.
Today, in Pop’s honor, I am carrying his vision forward. Now the publishing arm of the Community Healing Coalition, Inc. (CHC) - a nonprofit dedicated to empowering families impacted by mass incarceration and its ripple effects including foster care - NorthStar Books continues his legacy.
Our mission is simple:
Amplify everyday voices. Honor extraordinary stories.
“Pop, I pray we do you proud."
Today, in Pop’s honor, I am carrying his vision forward. Now the publishing arm of the Community Healing Coalition, Inc. (CHC) - a nonprofit dedicated to empowering families impacted by mass incarceration and its ripple effects including foster care - NorthStar Books continues his legacy.
Our mission is simple:
Amplify everyday voices. Honor extraordinary stories.
“Pop, I pray we do you proud."
