New York City book lovers can branch outside of Barnes & Nobles for thier next read.
Set designer and artist Ola Ronke founded a library in 2015 but it’s not the traditional building with shelves stocked with books. The Free Black Woman’s Library is a “mobile-trading library and interactive biblio-installation” of 900 books written by black female authors. Through monthly pop-up shops, this Brooklyn-bred business serves as a haven for melanated bookworms to come together and read literature courtesy of black female authors.
Inspired by the #SayHerName movement, Ronke felt compelled to spotlight black women in a way where they wouldn’t be looked at as a victim, but instead in a position of power.
“I want to be a part of something where black women are centered and where black women are the focus but it’s not tragic and it’s not pathological, and it doesn’t feel disempowering or discouraging,” Ronke told The Glow Up. “We can talk about us black women as writers, and artists, and filmmakers, and creatives and all these different things.”
For 2018, Ronke has launched a reading challenge to encourage readers to consume at least 20 books by the end of the year.
Besides supplying books, The Free Black Women’s Library hosts writing workshops and film screenings. On January 28th, Ronke will be helping with the launch of MFON: Women Photographers of the African Diaspora, a crowdfunded book of photography that celebrates black womanhood.
If you would like to donate to this black-woman owned interactive library, please visit their CrowdRise page.
