'Lit For Black Kids': Waltham Woman Opens Bookstore From Her Home
WALTHAM (CBS) -- A Waltham woman is on a mission to get young Black and Brown children to read more and she has opened a small bookstore out of her home to help make that happen.
"I wanted to shed light and bring joy," said Brianna Perkins. That joy is found in the love of reading, specifically books focused on Black and Brown children.
She transformed one of her bedrooms into the bookstore called 'Lit For Black Kids.'
"Lit is short for literature. But it also is the embodiment of lit, you can say 'I'm lit' which means I am cool, I'm dope, I'm fly," she said.
Brianna says the inspiration behind Lit came after the murder of George Floyd.
"Black books were selling out. Only certain ones that talked about racism or anti-racist behavior, but I wanted to highlight all different kinds of books. Books about joy as well," she said.
All of her books are geared toward children ranging from birth to teens. They all have Black characters as the lead.
Perkins sells her books online at LitForBlackKids.com. She also does in-person events and pop up shops, and thousands follow her on Instagram.
"I just wanted to have a platform where our kids get to have joy, they get to see themselves playing outside, having lunch with their teacher," she said.
Perkins said a lot of the books she sells are not found in your everyday book stores. They are independent authors who have unique stories to share. The biggest thing she wants is for Black and Brown kids to read a lot and often and it starts in the home.
"Never stop reading. Find something you like to read. And if there's not a book you like to read in particular, you can write your own."
She hopes through Lit more kids will discover the joy of reading, so they too can dream big.
