The event, announced by the Black Bookstore Coalition and modeled on Independent Bookstore Day, will take place annually on the last Saturday in August, which is also National Black Business Month.

Rep Club is a bookshop & creative space Curated by Blackness® in Los Angeles, CA. Independently Black-owned. Woman-owned. LGBTQ-owned. Homegrown in South Central & online 24/7.

Yesterday, the City of Wichita officially recognized Black Bookstore Day. The proclamation recognizes the history and impact of Black-owned bookstores and the role these spaces have played in preserving Black stories, creating community, and making room for ideas, learning, connection, and resistance. For us, receiving this recognition carries particular significance as Wichita transplants. The city has its own history of Black bookstore ownership, and that history helped shape what felt possible when Left on Read opened its doors. We’re especially grateful to Dr. Maaskelah Thomas, PhD and Mr. Curtis Whitten, whose work as Black bookstore owners in Wichita helped pave the way for what exists today. Black Bookstore Day intentionally falls during Black Business Month and Black August, placing the observance within a larger recognition of Black ownership, community, social justice, activism, resistance, Black history, and Black futures. Thank you to our supporters near and far who continue to show...