A homecoming for the community.

That is how Victoria Scott-Miller describes the grand reopening of Liberation Station, North Carolina’s first Black-owned children’s bookstore.

“It’s a homecoming that feels rooted in authenticity,” she said.

The bookstore initially opened in June 2023 in downtown Raleigh. For her, the business simply started as an idea that was rooted in her children, which she said grew into a mission to share wholeness with the community.

“The first psychological wound I think a child experiences, a child of color specifically, is going into a bookstore, going into a school library, and seeing that their existence is optional, that it’s not readily accessible on the shelf, that it’s not celebrated,” Scott-Miller said.

She said Liberation Station is aimed at healing that wound and reframing the idea of what could be.

“You can have a space specifically carved out for you, for you to go in, and it is calm, it is safe, it is anchored in community, and every single book that is available is for you,” Scott-Miller said.

However, less than one year after its grand opening, Scott-Miller decided to close the store after receiving several threats.

Scott-Miller said the closure happened during an election year, and given the world’s current political climate, she knew it was essential to act promptly. She said she just could not sleep well knowing what the bookstore offered was no longer available to the community.

“Liberation and in the revolution, doesn’t wait on convenience,” she said. “We have to do what we are designed and called to do, and we have to do it with a sense of urgency.”

The bookstore’s new home sits in what Scott-Miller describes as a “historic Black strip,” just across from St. Augustine’s University. The new location will feature a wide variety of books, resources and programming for everyone to enjoy.

“It should be a verb to be able to walk into a space and say, oh my gosh, like this is this is me, like all of this is me. I am. I can be a designer, I can be an engineer, I can be an artist. I can learn about money, I can learn about the government, but also I can just learn about my humanity [and] cooking at home, like it can be all things, and they deserve all of the above.”

During the grand reopening celebration, Scott-Miller said her two sons, Emerson, 9, and Langston, 15, will give speeches during the event. Something she says feels like a full-circle moment.

“I thought that this go round, it would be best for me to step back so that they can step forward,” Scott-Miller said. “I want children to feel like they can do that too.”

The event will be held on Monday at 10 a.m. at the bookstore on 430 Hill Street in Raleigh.

Anyone who would like to support and donate to the store can donate online through their GoFundMe or become a member to contribute to the bookstore’s sustainability fund.

Source link