Ola Akinmowo started The Free Black Women’s Library in 2015 as a social art project designed to center and celebrate the brilliance and creativity of Black women writers. “When I would look at these lists of best books in the world, best books to read… all these lists that are considered canon,” she said, “I never would see any Black women writers on these lists.”
Ola Akinmowo and a bookshelf at The Free Black Women’s Library
Courtesy Akinmowo
Starting with 100 books — including multiple copies of Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” — Akinmowo carried the traveling collection to community gardens, museums, and barbershops, where she would organize readings and group discussions.
As donations grew, moving it became harder. “Books are one of the heaviest materials you could work with,” she said. “They’re like bricks.”
Visitors hold books at The Free Black Women’s Library
Courtesy Akinmowo
So in 2020, Akinmowo challenged herself to raise $100,000 for a permanent space through crowdfunding, believing that if she could, it’d be a sign to keep growing the library. She reached the goal, and in 2021, the library opened in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
Today, The Free Black Women’s Library is a reading room and community care space. Inside, there’s a sewing machine, art supplies, and a period pantry stocked with free menstrual products. The space is open to everyone. “Whether you’re making six figures or making nothing,” Akinmowo says, “you’re treated the same way here.”
To hear more of Akinmowo’s story, use the audio player above.
Related Topics