Ryan Muir
Noname officially opened the doors to her Radical Hood Library on Oct 2.
The idea has been in the works since 2019, after the Chicago rapper launched her successful book club group on Patreon. According to REVOLT, Noname opened up the new community-based library right in the heart of the Jefferson Park neighborhood in Los Angeles.
The Noname Book Club Twitter account released a statement celebrating the big news.
“We are so excited to finally open our Radical Hood Library! This is a black led organization that was created to service black/brown folks and the RSVP prioritization will reflect that. There will be music, free food, and more! Please bring a new or used book. See you there!!!” the tweet read.
The Radical Hood Library has a little something for everyone according to the Chicago-bred artist. Each section of the library is organized by different categories with topics that range from imperialism, global Black resistance and revolutionary text. There’s even a section for kids called the “Young Homies Books.” Noname shared on Twitter that her favorite part of the library thus far is the “Fuck The Police” section that includes “abolitionist text” and a part of the library called “Black Capitalism Won’t Save Us.”
“More sections will be added as we grow,” she tweeted. “This is just the beginning.”
People are encouraged to donate used or old books to the library and the organization will even send books to an individual’s loved one who might be incarcerated by signing up through the Radical Hood Library’s Prison Chapter initative.
Last month, Noname took to Instagram to reflect on how quickly the Book Club has grown over the last year.
“I can’t believe how far we’ve come in only a few months,” she wrote. “In April we were sending 44 books a month and now we are sending 611 books a month [to prisons]. It’s crazy to see how books that helped me grow politically are inspiring growth in others.”
The Radical Hood Library is currently accepting donations on Patreon to continue its mission of educating the community through reading. You can donate here to support.
