by Rafael Pena
December 12, 2023
Gwen Henderson, Tampa’s solely Black Metropolis Council member, envisioned her bookstore as a sanctuary for banned books.
Within the coronary heart of Tampa, Florida at 401 E. Oak Ave., the Black English Bookstore opened Dec. 2, the Tampa Bay Occasions reviews.
Gwen Henderson, Tampa’s solely Black Metropolis Council member, envisioned this enterprise as a spot the place literature and historical past, typically marginalized, might discover a house. The 59-year-old public college instructor launched into this enterprise to honor the reminiscence of her great-great grandfather.
“A sanctuary for banned books,” Henderson declared, reflecting on the bookstore’s function.
Born out of her dedication to bridging gaps in Black historical past schooling, the shop goals to offer a refuge for literature that has been ignored or suppressed. The situation, simply north of the interstate that when divided Tampa’s Black neighborhood, holds historic resonance.
Henderson discovered the proper location for her imaginative and prescient after profitable a seat on the Metropolis Council, discovering a “For lease” sign up a brick constructing close to her house and workplace. Regardless of juggling tasks, together with caring for her mom, Henderson noticed the bookstore as a possibility to construct financial prospects for the neighborhood she serves.
The bookstore’s opening is essential as Florida reevaluates Black historical past schooling, highlighting the urgency of preserving and celebrating Black voices, in keeping with the outlet. Henderson’s dedication to fostering financial alternatives and success inside the neighborhood is clear in her dedication to the Black English Bookstore.
The situation’s historic significance is poignant. Located close to Perry Harvey Sr. Park, it’s a testomony to Tampa’s Black historical past. The park stands within the place as soon as often called The Scrub, a thriving hub of Black companies, tradition, and music, demolished for city renewal.
The Black English Bookstore, named after a James Baldwin essay, aspires to be greater than a bookstore; it goals to be a cultural hub harking back to Books for Thought, a cherished retailer that closed in 2007. Henderson envisions an area the place Black authors are usually not confined to a single shelf however are celebrated and showcased.
