The Black Star News is an African-American news outlet based in New York. and , both recent graduates of the Columbia School of Journalism, launched the Black Star on October 1, 1997. Both were alumni of the weekly New York Sun, which had recently folded due to financial difficulties. Bill Cosby and his wife Camille were the initial investors. In addition to local coverage, the News has focused on Black Americans' connections to Africa. In 2019 Allimadi was a panelist on the topic of HBCUs sending students to Africa as part of their coursework.