What book are you currently reading?

Donna: I have three books open. The first is Jayne Kennedy’s memoir, Plain Jayne. We recently hosted her for an event at the store. Every woman leader should read that, it’s fantastic! I’m also reading Amity by Nathan Harris, which is our women’s book club pick. The last book open is The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter Godwin Woodson.

Donya: I’m also reading Amity by Nathan Harris because of our book club, and Pasión: A Journey to the Soul of Spanish Football by Miguel Lourenco Pereira. I interviewed the author today because Spain is probably going to be one of the finalists for the World Cup. They’re an extraordinary team and have a lot of great players with roots in Africa.

Donya you were recently appointed Board member of ABA, congratulations, what do you hope to accomplish in your new role with the ABA?

Donya: It’s an opportunity to create more visibility and opportunities for Texas booksellers. There’s not as much emphasis on showing the culture of the Midwest, and I’m excited to change that. I’ll also be advocating for Black bookstores.

Donna, what drew you to join the board of NAB2?

Donna: Anything that supports Black booksellers, I’m going to say yes to. There’s an opportunity to make a real impact with black bookstores. It’s been only one year, and we’ve done a lot, which is inspiring.

What inspired you to open The Dock Bookshop? Walk me through the day when you decided to open this bookstore? 

Donna: My sister is always into something, she wanted to start a business and presented the bookstore idea. We were both bookselling at the time and always had a passion for books, so it was a natural fit. It happened really fast. In January, we decided we were going to open a bookstore. In February we found a location and by May our doors opened. At the time bookstores were closing in our community and there was a Black bookstore desert, so it felt right.

Donya: When Donna responded well to the bookstore, I knew we had something special. God and our ancestors played a role in helping this come to life. One of our ancestors lived under the library at the Governor’s Mansion in Missouri as a servant. Another ancestor, Hazel Evelyn Craddock, was a part of the Six Triple Eight and loved to read.

If you were handed a magic wand and could shape the future of Black bookstores, what would that world look like?

Donna: That’s a thought provoking question! The world I would create would have real unity. Coming together as a community to financially strengthen Black bookstores. I’m excited because I believe NAB2 can help make that possible.

Donya: If I could paint that picture, it would be Wakanda. Connecting African Americans to the continent and the diaspora. I hope we can do less on our phones and more in person. We need to get off our phones long enough to read a book and be in conversation with others. I also want to see Black bookstores carrying more international books and books in translation.

As sisters who have worked together for nearly 20 years building this bookstore, what
has been your greatest challenge and your greatest strength in working together?

Donna: I hate to say money is the greatest challenge, but it has been. God has always made a way, but there’s an information and wealth gap that needs to be closed. I hope NAB2 can help close that so other bookstores don’t have to learn the hard way like we did. Our strength is our grit mindset. No matter what, Donya and I are going to make it happen.

Donya: Our greatest challenge is understanding one another’s professional backgrounds. She’s more tied to the community and navigating community, while I’m more corporate. We think of things from a different lens. Our strength is love—that Martin Luther King Jr. agape kind of love. We may cuss each other out, but we get right back to love. Love for our family, business, history, people, and culture.