"Literacy, literature, and literary life have always been at the base of movements," said Janet Webster Jones, owner of Source Booksellers in Detroit, Mich., during a keynote panel at Winter Institute 2025 in Denver, Colo., Tuesday morning.
Jones was on the panel with Jake Cumsky-Whitlock, co-owner of Solid State Books in Washington, D.C., Maura Cheeks, owner of Liz's Book Bar in Brooklyn, N.Y., and DJ Johnson, owner of Baldwin & Co. in New Orleans, La., for a rousing and celebratory discussion of the legacy and future of Black-owned bookstores. Char Adams, journalist and author of the forthcoming Black-Owned: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore (Tiny Reparations Books), moderated the discussion.
"The movement is always undergirded by literacy and literary works," continued Jones, with booksellers and librarians being "the frontline people" who do the work to "keep the revolution going."
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Panelists (from l.) Jake Cumsky-Whitlock, Maura Cheeks, Janet Webster Jones, DJ Johnson, moderator Char Adams, and Donya Craddock of the Dock Bookshop, Fort Worth, Tex., who introduced the panel. |
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Asked about the other Black-owned bookstores and Black booksellers that have been inspirations, Johnson remarked that he "copied everything Janet does," while also praising the work done by "so many wonderful Black bookstores" like Mahogany Books in Washington, D.C., the Lit Bar in the Bronx, and Semicolon Books in Chicago, Ill. He called them "guiding lights," and said they exemplify the idea that "we have to be more than just retail spaces. We are centers of cultural and social revolution."
Johnson pointed to a "massive war of ideas" going on during the present moment and said booksellers are "on the front lines of preserving our democracy. We are on the front lines of fighting for equality and fighting against oppression." He added that people don't necessarily have to ban or burn books to stop a revolution--they only have to convince people to stop reading.
He further explained that most of Baldwin & Co.'s books are by BIPOC authors because those books "speak to the truth about American history." Black books and Black bookstores, he continued, show the reality behind "who and what America is." The history of America cannot be told, he said, "without Black people's contributions."
Cumsky-Whitlock identified a distinction between a Black-owned bookstore and a Black bookstore--while both are Black-owned, the former might have a more general mission while the latter has a very specific one. Cumsky-Whitlock called his own store "Black forward," meaning that it is a general-interest store with "many more Black books, many more diverse books than the average general-interest store would."
He explained that the store was founded out of a desire to create a community hub and third space, with early childhood literacy being a major and longstanding emphasis. The pandemic "threw a wrench" into the business as it did so many others, and he noted that he and the Solid State team are "still reacting to everything that has occurred since." Being in D.C., a major looming question now, he said, is "what happens to all these federal workers who suddenly no longer have jobs?"
Cumsky-Whitlock also touched on the great community of bookstores and the way booksellers pay it forward. Though booksellers spend a lot of time at conferences like Winter Institute talking about antitrust and technically being competitors, "we all have to have each others' backs. A rising tide lifts all boats."
Cheeks said for her store, which is in a predominantly white neighborhood, she has worked to create a space where Black people are comfortable but where books are available for everyone. Given the neighborhood, she said, the store "wouldn't survive if we didn't," but she is very intentional about working with Black authors for events.
Specifically, she tries to form long-term partnerships with authors. For example, she hosts a monthly crossword event with Juliana Pache, author of Black Crossword, and if an author has a book about finance, she would rather host a series of finance workshops in-store than simply host the author for a one-and-done event. Her store also hosts a variety of panels and workshops for authors designed to help them navigate the industry.
Cheeks emphasized the importance of one-on-one help, saying she tries to help "one person at a time, one author at a time."
On the subject of Source Booksellers' longevity, Jones recalled that "we said yes until we had to say no." When she has had to turn down an opportunity, she has tried to make sure that another bookseller finds it, and she has always tried to "reach for the community" and "go to where they are."
"I had opportunity, and I used courage to move forward," Jones said. "Opportunities show up and you sort of take yourself by the hand and go."
Responding to a question about their most memorable and affirming moments, Johnson remembered a time when a man in a pick-up truck stopped him while he was walking down the street and demanded to know if he was the owner of "that bookstore." At first, Johnson seriously feared for his safety and wondered, "Did I wrong someone? What did I do?" But when the man got out of the car, he told Johnson how much his son liked the bookstore and admired Johnson, and the man gave Johnson a hug. --Alex Mutter