47 black-owned bookstores across the country that you can support
As the country protests and marches and grapples with the consequences of systemic racism, many are turning to books to help them listen, learn, and change their thinking (and, hopefully, to change their actions). Below is a list of black-owned bookstores compiled and shared on Instagram by Duende District Bookstore (@duendedistrict), an account dedicated to sharing work by black and PoC voices, where you can find those books — and any others you're looking to purchase.
You've probably already found the many lists of reading materials curated by activists, but if not we'd encourage you to check out Duende District's own reading list on Bookshop.org, as well as Ibram X. Kendi's (author of How to Be An Antiracist) list compiled a year ago. In addition, most of the below bookstores have their own specific curations on their websites.
Mahogany Books, Washington
Loyalty Bookstore, Washington and Silver Spring, Md.
The Lit. Bar, Bronx, N.Y.
Cafe Con Libros, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Uncle Bobbie's Books and Cafe, Philadelphia
Brian Lair Books, South Bend, Ind.
Marcus Books, Oakland, Calif. — Donate to the fundraise to keep them going through the COVID19 crisis here
Sankofa, Washington
Pyramid Art, Books, & Custom Framing, Little Rock, Ark.
Ashay by the Bay, Vallejo, Calif.
Eso Wan Books, Los Angeles
Underground Books, Sacramento, Calif.
Cultured Books, St. Petersburg, Fla.
MeJah Books, Claymont, Del.
Beyond Barcodes Bookstore, Kokomo, Ind.
Semicolon Bookstore, Chicago
Harriett's Bookshop, Philadelphia
Medu Bookstore, Atlanta
Detroit Book City, Southfield, Mich.
Revolution Books, Berkeley, Calif.
Sister's Uptown Bookstore, New York
Source Booksellers, Detroit
Willa's Books, Kansas City, Mo.
Carol's Bookstore, Sacramento, Calif.
Dare Books, Longwood, Fla.
The Listening Tree, Decatur, Ga.
Book Boutique, Atlanta
Nubian Bookstore, Morrow, Ga.
Lushena Books, Bensenville, Ill.
Da Book Joint, Chicago
For Keeps Books, Atlanta
Between the Lines Bookstore, Baton Rouge, La.
Frugal Bookstore, Roxbury, Mass.
Olive Tree Books-n-Voices, Springfield, Mass.
Books and Crannies, Martinsville, VA
Eye See Me, University City, Mo.
Zawadi Books, Columbus, Ohio
Yoruba Bookstore, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Smith & Hannon, Cincinnati
Mocha Books, Tulsa, Okla.
The Black Reserve, Lansdale, Pa.
Turning Page Bookshop, Goose Creek, S.C.
Enda's Booktique, Duncanville, Texas
The Dock, Fort Worth, Texas
Black World Books, Killeen, Texas
Harambee Books, Alexandria, Va.
Riches in Reading, Maryland City, Md.
To help combat systemic racism, please consider donating to these organizations:
- Campaign Zero, which is dedicated to ending police brutality in America through research-based strategies.
- Color of Change, which moves decision-makers in corporations and government to be more responsive to racial disparities.
- Equal Justice Initiative, which provides legal services to people who have been wrongly convicted, denied a fair trial, or abused in state jails and prisons.
Related content:
Comments have been disabled on this post