BLACK BOOKSTORE OPENED BY TAMPA COUNCIL MEMBER AFTER SHE NOTICED SOMETHING MISSING ON BOOKSHELVES

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December 7, 2023

By Aria Bell, Blavity

In a time of discriminate book banning, a Black bookstore is instrumental in keeping culture alive. (Maryna Terletska via Getty Images)

Gwen Henderson, a Florida government official, is soon opening the doors to her new bookstore located in Tampa Heights to help expand the types of books that are available to community members.

Henderson noticed something was often missing on bookshelves and decided to fill in the gap with Black literature, according to Bay News 9. After she crafted the idea of the Black English Book Store, she hosted pop-ups at various events and was intentional about making it a reality. Those who entered the store’s grand opening on Dec. 2 supported Black authors and the stories they have to tell.

“Ninety-eight percent of the books are African American or Black-authored books,” Henderson said in an interview with Bay News 9. “People are going to enter this store maybe thinking about a book and then taking other books into consideration that they haven’t thought about because it’s all housed in one location.”

Learn how she got the inspiration for her store’s name in the full article.

Books are being challenged in libraries across the country at historic rates.

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