It's more than a business for these strong Black women. It's purpose.
Bev Tumi Makhubele & Naledi Yaziyo, Rofhiwa Book Café
Rofhiwa Book Café is a Durham, NC bookcafé founded by Bev Tumi Makhubele & Naledi Yaziyo to “reflect the expansiveness of the black imagination". They're proudly Black-owned, Women-owned, and LGBTQ-owned! Follow their events page for frequent book launches by Black authors.
Noëlle Santos, The Lit. Bar
Noëlle Santos is an African American and Puerto Rican venture activist who founded The Lit. Bar as the only brick & mortar bookstore serving the Bronx, home to 1.4 million people and 10 colleges.
Barnes & Noble was the last bookstore in the area when it closed in 2016. Not content to stand by, this Bronx native made herself the solution. Read the mission in her poem The Bronx is Burning with Desire to Read – 100% it’s lit!
Rosa Duffy, For Keeps
Black history is really h-i-s-t-o-r-y for Rosa Duffy, founder of Atlanta, GA For Keeps Books specializing in Black rare and classic books.
Appropriately located in historic Sweet Auburn, Rosa has also curated many nostalgic items on the bookstore's walls as a tribute to Black artists, authors, and culture.
Nyshell Lawrence, Socialight Society
Nyshell Lawrence founded Socialight Society in Lansing, MI to “celebrate Black women and Black literature", making space for those who often lack representation in traditional bookstores. You'll find her giving even more space, in her book club events featuring books by, who else, Black women!
Terri Hamm, Kindred Stories
Kindred Stories was founded by Terri Hamm as “a space & community for exploring Black authors". She and her team sponsor author talks, book clubs, and even community programs from writing workshops to adult spelling bees!
Located in Houston's Third Ward, one of the city's oldest African-American neighborhoods, the store occupies space within Project Row Houses (one of “39 structures that serve as a home base to a variety of community-enriching initiatives, art programs, and neighborhood development activities" for under-resourced neighbors and marginalized communities).
Asha Grant, Salt Eaters Bookshop
First came the The Free Black Women’s Library – L.A., Los Angeles’s 1st traveling book swap/pop-up library. From the trunk of her car, to community centers and museums, Asha Grant created “mini literary safehouses" throughout the city.
In search of a permanent home, she founded The Salt Eaters Bookshop which “prioritizing books, comics, and zines by and about Black women, girls, femmes, and gender expansive people". Another proud Black-owned, Women-owned, and LGBTQ-owned business!
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