I WAS A library kid growing up. I was in Borders all the time to the point where the workers would be like, “Where are your parents? Why are you still here? It’s dark outside!” Children are some of our most marginalized members of society. Kids can’t [generally] walk into a bookstore and buy books, or they can’t just walk into a library and check out books. Often, they have to have an adult with them. Banning children’s books is a hurdle to literacy and to learning history and how we engage with others in community.

In May 2024, we opened [Call and Response Books in Chicago]. The way that publishing is set up often puts authors of color at a disadvantage. We’re trying to counteract that through our curation and events. We’ve had so many events, I’ve lost count. People always say it feels like someone’s living room. Someone came in and said, “I feel like I should be taking my shoes off in here.” I responded, “I like that you feel that way. Please do keep your shoes on. For everyone’s sanity and well-being.” But it feels safe, comfortable, and like home.

Black bookstores advocate for the humanity of everybody.

Within the small business community, people often feel there’s not much that we can do to help others in times like these. Black bookstores have a long tradition of being a space where they advocate for the dignity and humanity of everybody. A book called Black-Owned talks about the role Black bookstores play in liberation movements.

People are welcome to come in regardless of their relationship to reading or to literature. It’s a judgment-free zone. People come and say, “I haven’t read for years.” And I’m like, “That’s cool. Tell me what your favorite TV show [or] movie is. Let’s start there.”

Courtney Bledsoe spoke with Sojourners associate editor Darren Saint-Ulysse.