2 South Side Women Seek To Broaden Minds By Increasing Availability Of Black-Focused Books
CHICAGO (CBS) -- As we continue to highlight Black History and history makers this month, here is the story of two mothers on the city's South Side who are broadening minds through Black-focused books in this ever-changing technology driven world.
They spoke to CBS 2's Steven Graves.
Growing up in Chicago's Roseland neighborhood - Iesha Malone, could only dream of a bevy of Black-centric books in one place. But now, she has helped develop one.
"Black History, we need them to know about it," Malone said. "I don't want what I went through to be the same story that my kids said 15 years from now - 'We didn't have this, and we didn't have this.' Yes, you did."
The teacher and mom of two sons considers Roseland a "book desert."
"There's no bookstore," Malone said. "The library books don't touch your soul."
So she's flipping the script - newly establishing a business called the Rose Cafe. For now, she is doing pop-up sites at markets and schools.
It's all about knowledge and access.
"I feel Black stories are Black History," Malone said. "Books can open a whole new world. And there's a lot of information in books."
Verlean Singletary owns Da Book Joint in Bronzeville. It is a new and small, but mighty book nook with big goals.
She, along with Malone, is hoping to transform the South Side through books.
"To ensure that kids have something more productive and positive to do - give them something that they relate to, and they'll read," Singletary said.
Their work is vital - as Black representation has historically been low. A recent national study by the Cooperative Children's Book Center shows 49.8 percent of children's books published last year were about white characters. Compare that to only 16 percent Black characters.
And authors of books were mainly white – 77.9 percent – while only 9.3 percent were Black.
"Without access to literacy, we don't know much," Malone said. "We don't know where we came from. We don't know where we can go."
Malone and her business partner, Rebecca Silverman, are hoping to eventually go right into the Roseland community with a brick-and-mortar cafe and bookstore.
"I think it's really important we all read books on a wide range of people, to understand each other more," Silverman said.
And such understanding leads to change, one book at a time.
"People still want to feed your soul with Black stories," Malone said.