Save Marcus Books!

It is with sad regret that Marcus Books, the nation's oldest black book store, is on the verge of closing. I have a picture of Mutabaraka because I remember meeting him on Jamaica once and he talked about a book reading he did there in 2005.

From Prometheus 6

Marcus Books is in foreclosure, the victim of a sub-prime loan scam and ponzi scheme. An auction is scheduled to take place next week, unless lawyers delay matters. It is $900,000 in debt on their mortgage. Because of hubris, the family did not disclose their situation to the pubic or more specifically to the black community until the eleventh hour. Several options are being attempted as we write, including having their property in San Francisco declared a historical monument, since Marcus is no doubt the oldest black book store in America.

Paul Cobb, publisher of the Oakland Post, is leading the charge to save Marcus Books. No matter the cause, the primary objective is to save this historical black business that has meant so much to Bay Area black consciousness. Thanks to Marcus, the little light of blackness is still shining in the Bay. So we want to save Marcus at all costs, even if 100 black writers must post themselves in front of the property on auction day, even if we go to jail.

I want to save Marcus in spite of my personal relationship with the family which has been shakey from time to time, but Julian Richardson was my mentor, so I will fight to save it because of his contribution to black liberation in the Bay and throughout America, since writers, artists and activists from around the world came through Marcus Books, either in person or with their books, and shed light on a people who walked in darkness.

If you want to help, I suggest you call Paul Cobb at the Oakland Post Newspaper. 510-287-2800.