Some people toot their own trumpet. I mean to toot yours. On the first Sunday of every month, I'm sharing your posts, your sites, anything interesting I stumble upon during my internet vagrancies. June on Twitter was all about the #BlackLivesMatter movement, for a number of reasons - from police brutality to inequality in publishing - so I thought I'd collect four of my favourite and/or the most relevant posts that sprung up because of it. (I mean, those that I know of - feel free to add more in the comments!). This month on TYT...
- SUPPORT BLACK OWNED BOOKSTORES (a list on Jen's blog Jen Ryland's Reviews)
- 5 BLACK LITERARY PROFESSIONALS TO SUPPORT RIGHT NOW (a list by The Parliament House)
- BLACK LIVES MATTER (a resource post on Nicole's blog Feed Your Fiction Addiction)
- THE BOOK COMMUNITY’S BIAS (a think-piece on Amber's blog Du Livre)
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Support Black Owned Bookstores (list) - by Jen
The title is pretty much self-explanatory - Jen lists 50+ U.S. Black owned bookstores, sorted by State (please note: she's still adding to the list if more are brought to her attention). Small local businesses are suffering as it is because of the Covid crisis - and regardless, at a time like this (but not only of course - keep supporting them if you can!) Black owned bookstores need you to take action, and Black author stories need you to read them.
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5 Black Literary Professionals to Support Right Now (list) - by The Parliament House
The Parliament House is an indie fantasy/sci fi publisher that supports Black professionals in the field. Please visit/follow these five ladies' sites/social handles if you feel so inclined, and/or support their creative outlets.
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Black Lives Matter (resource post) - by Nicole
Nicole lists different ways for you to support Black booksellers, authors and creators. Her post links to Black owned bookstores, a Chicago-based book bank for disadvantaged children, and anti-racist resources.
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The Book Community’s Bias (think-piece) - by Amber
Amber clearly put a lot of thought into her post about bias towards content creators and in publishing. But as all the good posts are wont to do, she also provides her answers and solutions (while asking you to do the same if you have any), and some links (like the one to a Huffington Post article that showcases a few Black booktubers).
The title is pretty much self-explanatory - Jen lists 50+ U.S. Black owned bookstores, sorted by State (please note: she's still adding to the list if more are brought to her attention). Small local businesses are suffering as it is because of the Covid crisis - and regardless, at a time like this (but not only of course - keep supporting them if you can!) Black owned bookstores need you to take action, and Black author stories need you to read them.
***
5 Black Literary Professionals to Support Right Now (list) - by The Parliament House
The Parliament House is an indie fantasy/sci fi publisher that supports Black professionals in the field. Please visit/follow these five ladies' sites/social handles if you feel so inclined, and/or support their creative outlets.
***
Black Lives Matter (resource post) - by Nicole
Nicole lists different ways for you to support Black booksellers, authors and creators. Her post links to Black owned bookstores, a Chicago-based book bank for disadvantaged children, and anti-racist resources.
***
The Book Community’s Bias (think-piece) - by Amber
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That's all for now folks! See you the first Sunday of every month for more!
Thanks so much for including my list! And through Nicole I am a new fan of Bernie's Book Bank :)
ReplyDeleteYours was a great post!
DeleteWhat a great list! Thanks for sharing, Roberta :D I'm going to head over to Amber's post now. I am very curious about this topic.
ReplyDeleteThank you 💚. It's a well-written and well-researched post! Amber's, I mean 😁.
DeleteAwww thank you for the love Roberta! <3 I'm hoping that people keep the movement going, especially in the book community! My local Black indie is currently overwhelmed with purchases and I'm so happy for them, I hope it continues throughout the year though! I've made a promise to myself to no longer shop for physical books from Amazon.
ReplyDelete(This is Amber Elise @ Du Livre btw, I can't log out of my husband's account. ugh).
LOL, I know it's you - you have commented as "Matt" before. That's great about your local Black indie, and I hope it stays that way! And if someone outside the U.S. has bookstores to suggest, I hope they will.
DeleteI love this idea, especially the black-owned stores since I'm not sure I know of any, at least in my immediate area!
ReplyDeleteEverybody has gone above and beyond to make lists these days, so I hope they're useful for you U.S. folks!
DeleteWhat a great idea. have a great week.
ReplyDeleteThanks, you too!
DeleteI had been trying to buy more locally and through small businesses even after the pandemic started but now I'm trying to be even more specific about and buy books by Black authors through Black owned bookstores for example.
ReplyDeleteKaren @ For What It's Worth
I remember your posts (on IG and Twitter) during the quarantine! Since I'm not in the U.S., I did what little I could by amplifying some voices. You know I can't buy from overseas. *sighs*
Delete