-
Ma’at Hotep, family! Here’s some food for thought. This idea came out of a conversation I had with a friend of mine who owns a small book store which specializes in black books and Afrikan cultural products and media. I always try to patronize his store or other black merchants when I can, but it becomes somewhat frustrating when I have to call around to 7 or 8 different book stores to find the one I want. So, I asked the brother, who is fairly business-savvy and “conscious”, if any of the black book sellers in the area had ever considered forming a merchant’s cooperative where they would combine inventory resources to assist customers in finding certain titles. That’s the reason that so many black folks just say “forget it” and just go to Amazon for their books. The brother acknowledged that this was a good idea which had been attempted in the past, but greed and ego had gotten in the way. So,…maybe these “conscious” black business owners need to take some time to read some of the books they’re selling like Claude Anderson, Carter G. Woodson or Marcus Garvey. Are any of you aware of any existing Afrikan book merchants cooperatives either in the diaspora or on the continent?
