As we make our way through Black History Month, it’s important to acknowledge and support the Black community through listening, activism, and standing by them through their struggles and their successes. And the best way to support any community is to support their businesses – when we are actively conscious of where we spend our dollars, we end up contributing to the building of generational wealth for the community, and in this case, we would be helping narrow the racial wealth gap and consequently also end racial injustice.
Here are a few Black-owned bookstores that you can start to support:
1. The Lit. Bar
Owned and operated by Noëlle Santos who is an African American and Puerto Rican venture activist from the Bronx, The Lit. Bar opened its permanent doors on April 27, 2019, and is currently the only brick and mortar bookstore serving the Boogie Down Bronx. The Lit. Bar carefully curates its own selections and hopes to emphasize local interest and diversity for people of all ages.
2. Malik Books
The subject is Black Joy for this next bookstore. Located in Los Angeles, California, Malik Books is an independent African American Bookstore that specializes in carefully selected books and African American gifts full of cultural diversity.
3. Estelita’s Library
Estelita’s Library is a Black and Brown-owned community bookstore located in Seattle, Washington whose goal is to have community book talks, classes, meetings, history lessons, and much more to strengthen and develop our collective analysis for justice. It functions as both a bookstore and library that focuses on social justice and collective liberation from oppressive structures.
4. The Key Bookstore
The Key Bookstore is a fully interactive bookstore experience with a main storefront at 1429 Hartford, Connecticut. The Key engages readers through curation, activities, subscriptions, events, and community engagement. Their focus is Afrocentricity, Spirituality Environmentalism, and Entrepreneurship.
5. Black Pearl Books
Community is central to this next bookstore. Black Pearl Books is a proudly independent bookstore located in Austin, Texas which was built to promote diversity, inclusion, equality, and cultural awareness.
6. Cultured Books
Founded by Lorielle J. Hollaway in St. Petersburg, Florida, Cultured Books strives to incorporate reading, the arts, community health, and language skills to nurture that #literarcylifestyle. Recently, Cultured Books made news for its mission to improve literacy within the community.