Dear Readers (and Writers!):
Many of us are out on the front lines, marching and protesting the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis right now. In cities across America – and around the world – protestors are standing up for what’s right, calling for an end to police brutality, demanding justice for Floyd and for the Black community at large. In cities throughout the nation, police officers continue to rain violence upon US citizens, amidst calls to defund the police.
For those of us who want to bring our support even closer to home, and who want to show solidarity within the literary community, we can give our support in another very important way: spend money at Black-owned bookstores, buying Black authors’ books.
Marcus Books in Oakland, the oldest independent Black bookstore in the US, is currently holding a GoFundMe fundraiser. If you have the money to donate, take a screenshot and send it to @AndreaBrownLit on Twitter and they’ll match your donations up to $5K.
Do More
Got a Black bookstore in your part of the country? Buy books from them today!
Here’s a quick round-up of Black-owned stores from California and beyond, starting locally here in Sacramento, home to Underground Books. (The store is temporarily closed, due to the Coronavirus shutdown, but you can follow them on Instagram @undergroundbooks, or call or email to connect.)
Sacramento, CA
- Carol’s Books: 1913 Del Paso Blvd.
- Underground Books: 2814 35th Street
Los Angeles, CA
- Eso Won Books: 4327 Degnan Blvd.
- Zahra’s Books and Things: 900 North La Brea Ave (Inglewood)
Oakland, CA
- Ashay By the Bay: 1411 Webster Street
BLACK BOOKSTORES BY STATE
Arkansas
- Pyramid Art, Books and Custom Framing (Little Rock)
Delaware
- MeJah Books & Crafts (Claymont)
Florida
- Cultured Books (Saint Petersburg)
- Dare Books (Longwood)
- The Gathering Awareness and Book Center (Pensacola)
- Pyramid Books (Boynton Beach)
Georgia
- Black Dot Cultural Center and Bookstore (Lithonia)
- Book Boutique (Atlanta)
- Medu Bookstore (Atlanta)
- Nubian Bookstore (Morrow)
- The Shrine of the Black Madonna Bookstore (Atlanta)
Illinois
- AfriWare Books (Maywood)
- Frontline Books (Chicago)
Indiana
- Akoma Novelties & Books (Evansville)
- The Brain Lair Bookstore (South Bend)
Kentucky
- The Wild Fig Books and Coffee (Lexington)
Louisiana
- Between The Lines Bookstore (Baton Rouge)
- The Community Book Center (New Orleans)
Maryland
- Everyone’s Place (Baltimore)
- Wisdom Book Center (Gwynn Oak)
Massachusetts
- Frugal Bookstore (Roxbury)
- Olive Tree Books-n-Voices (Springfield)
Michigan
- Blackstone Bookstore & Cultural Center (Ypsilanti)
- Detroit Book City (Detroit)
- Nandi’s Knowledge Café (Highland Park)
- Source Booksellers (Detroit)
Missouri
- Eyeseeme (University City)
- Progressive Emporium & Education Center (St. Louis)
Nebraska
- Aframerican Book Store (Omaha)
New Jersey
New York
- Cafe con Libros (Brooklyn)
- Grandma’s Place (Harlem)
- The Lit. Bar (The Bronx)
- Revolution Books (Harlem)
- Sisters Uptown Bookstore (Harlem)
Ohio
- Black Art Plus (Columbus)
- Zawadi Books (Columbus)
Pennsylvania
- Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse (Philadelphia)
- Black and Nobel (Philadelphia)
- Color Book Gallery (Philadelphia)
- Hakim’s Bookstore (Philadelphia)
- Uncle Bobbies Coffee & Books (Philadelphia)
South Carolina
- Turning Page Bookshop (Goose Creek)
Tennessee
- The African Place (Memphis)
Texas
- The Pan African Connection (Dallas)
- The Dock Bookshop (Fort Worth)
- Black World Books (Kileen)
Virginia
- Harambee Books and Artworks (Alexandria)
Washington, DC
THANK YOU!
Please share any Black bookstores, authors or artists in your community that you’d like to support in the comments below, and thank you for showing your solidarity with the Black artistic community.