What is your fondest memory of your early days as a bookstore owner?

My fondest memories of my bookstore were as they are now - my loving relationships to my customers who are more than customers. They welcomed me and my new management with open arms. They pray for me, teach me, sometimes bring food from their gardens, they love me and I love them.

What are you reading these days?

As usual everything: The Complete Guide the Mother of the Church, Africoba, Superfine, The Ethiopian Bible, Black AF History, and We Shoot Back.

What led you to joining the inaugural board of NAB2?

I received a call from NAB2 founder, Kevin Johnson that I initially did not take seriously. I was so busy. But if you know anything about Kevin then you know he is persistent. He called again and I had to heed to his invitation. It was on second thought that I realized that he had wonderful ideas and that I would regret not becoming involved.

What would a thriving future for Black booksellers include?

For me, our beautiful future is that there are more Black bookstores than liquor stores and nightclubs in our neighborhoods. These stores own the land on which they stand and are connected through a mutual support system. Black bookstores are profitable, educational and cultural instructions that archive our past while forging our glorious future by providing service, educational materials and activities for our community.

You’ve been bookselling in Mississippi for 87 years. This alone is an act of resistance.  Can you share more about this journey?

Since 1938, Marshall’s Music & Bookstore has been located on Farish Street, the historic Black district and sanctuary. We are fighting racism and gentrification in order to not only remain here but to finally own a property where our store can operate after being denied the opportunity for 87 years. Marshall’s saw the first wave of the Great Migration which was the Black Exodus from the neo-slavery plantations for Southern cities like Jackson. Some of us who were more prosperous purchased land, commercial properties and homes. These racial elites lived among us. They were are our heroes and heroines who undergirded our business and cultural infrastructure. Our Black men who shipped out to World War 2 were our heroes too and Farish Street was and is our sanctuary. Jim Crow demanded that Black People step off sidewalks, drop our eyes when whites cross our path and we were forced to also sit on the back of buses until at least 1966(yes that is10 years after the success of The Montgomery Bus Boycott). When the Civil Rights Movement came to Jackson, Mississippi, some of the Farish Street district churches opened their doors to nightly protest meetings with Mr. Medgar Evers leading the way. We were in support because we had a natural resistance to cruelty, injustice, and murder due to our love of God, Our Messiah. Little did we know that integration was a double-edge sword that cut us on both economic and psychological sides. We were lead to believe that we should abandon our institutions for those places where we were not welcomed or respected. Needlessly, seeking acceptance created a pathological deification of suffering. When I purchased Marshall’s Music and Bookstore in 2006, Farish Street was blighted and largely deserted but not necessarily discouraged. The bookstore was still strong and active due to the unyielding support of our customers who came from all over Mississippi. Because the soul of Farish Street is everlasting, the resurrection fire still burns. Resistance to mediocrity, destruction and ignorance motivated our efforts. Out of our commitment, Marshall’s Music & Bookstore created Saturday Schools for children, teens and adults. Our curriculum includes history, logic and cultural dance. But we did not stop there, we have worked with others to free wrongfully convicted Black People and successfully lead a stay of execution until exoneration was obtained. It is no consequence that Marshall’s Music & Bookstore is located on Farish Street. We are inextricably deeply rooted. We both overstand that it is only natural that love of people and life requires resistance to destruction.