Finally got to stop by my favorite - Oakland’s Marcus (Garvey) Bookstore! It’s been so many years since I’ve stepped foot in this home of the oldest Black-owned independent bookstore in America which opened in the 60’s! From the children to adult books, the music playing when you walk in and the murals tattooed on outside walls ... this civil rights sanctuary is unapologetically Black! AND let me emphasize that they have the best and most beautiful selection of Black focused books I’ve seen! And because I worked a lot in West Oakland I often drove by Mosswood park which is down the street from the bookstore and became home to one of our largest homeless tent communities! Black poverty creates white exploitive opportunity - and I was always afraid that gentrification’s systemic displacement would tear down this iconic Bookstore. BUT IT’S STILL HERE AND THRIVING despite its struggle to survive during the early pandemic! It’s such a nucleus for literature, culture and history and I’m hoping it’s perseveration can influence and create an even deeper community care for Black sustainability! . . . #marcusgarvey #garveybookstore #oakland #westoakland #healing #community #liberation