In times of economic crisis and racial injustice, it is critical to support black-owned bookstores and authors of color, reading their literature and validating their experiences. Here is a selection of bookstores with central missions to amplify literary perspectives of black communities and ways you can support their work.
The Schomburg Shop
image from thrillist.com
The Schomburg Shop is the bookstore at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, located at Malcolm X Boulevard in Harlem, New York. The Shop has an extensive selection of books by black authors, essayists, historians, and poets. Its selection amplifies black perspectives, educating readers on black experiences and history from the perspective of people of color. All proceeds from purchases at The Shop go directly to funding the research center. An affiliate of the New York Public Library, this center is devoted to “research, preservation, and exhibition of mortals focused on African American, African Diaspora, and African experiences” (NYPL.org). The Schomburg Center also offers free programming to New Yorkers via exhibitions, educational talks, book readings and more. In addition to the wide range in literature, the online store also sells totes, buttons, and mugs.
You can purchase some of The Shop’s collection on its website. On the home page are several book collection lists including Black Liberation Reading List and Black Comic Book Festival, a selection of titles featured at The Center’s annual Black Comic Book Festival.
Bluestockings Bookstore
image from Bluestockings
Bluestockings is a “collectively owned and volunteer powered radical bookstore, fair trade cafe, and activist center” nestled in The Lower East Side of Manhattan (bluestockings.com). A community hub, activism center, and bookstore, Bluestockings is an aggregate of educational resources and livable experiences. The store has a “safer space” policy designed to keep the physical space and conversational content proactive, engaging, and welcoming for all people. Bluestockings aims to be a space where experiences from marginalized communities are heard and validated. Bluestockings regularly hosts panel discussions, workshops, and performances without cost to the public. Its literature is vast, with thousands of titles ranging from radical education to activist strategies.
Books and novelty items are available for purchase online. The website organizes its books by featured sections, one of which is a selection of books on Race Studies. These books are mostly non-fiction titles on privilege, anti-racism, and identity. The website also has a host of resources for Survivors, LGBT people, and Housing and Food, proving to be a valuable source of information and political engagement in Lower Manhattan.
Semicolon Bookstore & Gallery
image from Chicago Magazine
So good, we had to name it twice – or feature it twice. Semicolon is Chicago’s only black woman-owned bookstore. Semicolon is “committed to nurturing the connection between literature, art, and the pursuit of knowledge; while also using the power of words to better our community” (semicolonchi.com). Semicolon regularly donates to Chicago Public School students, with their most recent initiative being #ClearTheShelves. Raising over $36,000, Semicolon invited students to quite literally clear the shelves of its bookstore and take brown bags filled with free books. The store seeks to directly increase literacy rates in Chicago and bring culturally pertinent literature into families’ homes.
As an affiliate of bookshop.com, Semicolon’s diverse selection of books addressing topics like feminism and multiculturalism is available for purchase online. The staff has compiled several recommended book lists, including Our Faves Right Now and Stay Woke.
Harriett’s Bookshop
Image from store’s website
Harriett’s Bookshop is a literary and writing space for female authors, activists, and artists. Founded in Philadelphia by Jeannie Cook, Harriett’s Bookshop is a space for creation, for proactive thinking, and for self-discovery. Cook describes the bookstore as “if black girl magic were a bookshop” (phillymag.com). She identifies personally with Harriett Tubman in her revolutionary spirit as a black bookstore owner and activist for black women.
In addition to the wide collection of books celebrating black female identity and lived experiences available on its website, Harriett’s sells merchandise and children’s books representing people and families of color. Recently, Harriett’s Bookshop launched an initiative called Essentials for Essentials, wherein it collaborated with the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania and the Penn Presbyterian Medical Emergency Department to give books to essential workers. Healthcare workers on the frontline of the COVID-19 fight submitted book titles to a wishlist with their names, and customers could buy their books. Every essential worker got their wish list book. Currently, staff members at Harriett’s are on the frontlines themselves, protesting for racial justice in Philadelphia and giving away free copies of Harriett Tubman and The Autobiography of Malcolm X.
Ashay by the Bay
image from Ashay bythe Bay Facebook
Ashay by the Bay is committed to providing literature that specializes in African-American and multi-cultural books. Ashay by the Bay aims to empower youth through word and education. Deborah Day, CEO and owner of Ashay by the Bay, founded the bookstore to create a space for culturally relevant reading and learning for children in the Bay Area. Day has personally organized a fundraiser, Books for Kids and Family in Need, to raise money to bring books into BIPOC children’s homes since the COVID-19 crisis has closed schools and libraries. Through collaboration with local school districts and educators, Day identifies families in need and provides $25-50 gift certificates so students can choose the books that speak to their interests. Donations to the fundraiser can be made on their GoFundMe page.
The website also has several lists of book recommendations, most within the Common Core standards, for youth ranging from toddlers to teenagers, allowing them to “excel in all areas of academic achievement and community” (ashaybythebay.com).