As you take a break from work and to do lists and everything else this holiday season, we hope that you’ll also take a break from screens and scrolling. If you’re like us, you may find yourself doing much of your reading on a tablet of some kind. Here’s a great way to ween yourself off your blue-tinted sleep-disruptor: return to books! And for the holidays, you can give the gift of less screen time by offering books as presents. Here’s a wonderful list of black-owned bookstores from across the United Sates from Oprah Daily, including Sistah Scifi, a booksjop that specialisses in Afrofuturism!
…independent book stores owned by African Americans have been around for decades. The oldest in the country is Oakland, California’s Marcus Books, which opened its doors in 1960 and is still in business today. There are now more than a hundred other Black-owned establishments in the country, and though they make up just 6 percent of indie bookselling companies in the U.S., they’re home to powerful works that serve to educate and amplify vital voices.
…
From online book boutique Sistah Scifi—a shop that strictly sells Afrofuturism novels—to children’s bookstore The Listening Tree in Decatur, Georgia, there are plenty of diverse Black-owned bookstores you can safely shop at right now, and always, no matter how much (or little) the nation is focused on a longtime continuing struggle. Below, our official directory of Black-owned bookstores in America, starting in Arkansas and ending in Washington, D.C. We’ve also noted the favorite shops of renowned authors like Tayari Jones, Deshawn Winslow, Jackie Woodson, Nicole Dennis-Benn, and Kiley Reid.