“Knowledge is the Key” reads the awning of Sister’s Uptown Books, one of the only black-owned bookstores in Manhattan, New York.
Opening in 2000, Sister’s serves as a hub for the culture and community of Washington Heights “My mother grew up in rural Georgia in the 50’s and 60’s, during intense segregation and racism. Especially in the South. She moved to Manhattan when she was 18 and was just in awe of the incredible amount of Black culture.” says Kori Wilson, the 36-year-old daughter of Sister’s Uptown Books founder, Janifer Wilson.
Growing up in the segregated south, Wilson Sr. never read any texts or history that included Black people. The majority of the texts they had in school were written by White people, about White people, and for White people. But she fell into the groove of Black literature once she relocated to the city.
Wilson says that she believes her mother experienced a major culture once arriving in New York. “She used to spend a lot of time at Tree of Life, a black-owned bookstore in New York. Malcolm X and a lot of famous activists would give speeches and hang out there. She was just enthralled to see black people thriving.” Janifer became an avid reader of Marcus Garvey, Steve Biko, James Baldwin, and other Black writers that she had never been exposed to in Georgia.
Since the store’s beginning, the mother-daughter duo has run the show together. Kori was 12-years-old when she became Sister’s head cashier, and she says that she knew she would spend her life working there “I have had other jobs, but good help is hard to find, my mom says. At the end of the day, the family aspect is a constant, my mom, myself, and my 14-year-old son all work there.” In the last five years Kori has taken over the role of manager.
Sister’s isn’t just a bookstore, in fact, the full name of the Wilson’s establishment is Sister’s
Uptown Books and Community Centre Inc. On top of having book signings, readings, and launch parties, they also host workshops, classes and community events like birthday parties and baby showers. Kori taught “Babies and Books” classes while her children were small. “We would read stories, play games, and do tummy time with them. It created a nice community, Sister’s Uptown really does serve as a community hub.”
Despite the fact that a study by Guidant Financial in 2018 found that the number of Black-owned businesses in the United States has grown by 400% since 2002, Wilson Jr. says that Black-owned bookstores are on the decrease. “One thing my mother always mentions is in 2010 we had 350 lack-owned bookstores nationally, in 2020 it’s 54. It’s a blessing to still exist in an area where the market is becoming obsolete.”
“Our main mission is to make sure that there is diversity in the stories and literature people are consuming. In children’s books and literature as well, it all starts with the kids.” Kori has three children herself and she says it’s important for them to have representation in the media. “We have a whole section about loving hair and how to love the hair you have, how to be proud of your culture. We have a whole section on that in the kid’s section.” But Wilson says she believes there’s more to be done. “There should be an adult section, a lot of grown women struggle with the beauty standards of the world.”
Sister's Uptown Books is located at 1942 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, New York.
Written By: Devon-Clare Banfield
Comments