Brighton's first Black-owned bookshop opened after public demand
In October, Brighton will welcome its first black-owned bookstore.
Afrori Books, which has been functioning as an online bookseller for more than a year, was founded in the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter rallies in July of last year.
The online store's popularity soared, prompting entrepreneur Carolynn Bain to plan the opening of a bookshop in Brighton.
The first Black-owned bookshop in Sussex will open in the downstairs floor of the Lighthouse charity building on Kensington Street.
However, the Bevendean resident wasn't always active in promoting black authors' work.
She works for an event management firm in 2019.
Carolynn claimed she and her colleague were fired within 10 days of each other, despite the fact that the company had 80 employees and two of them were black.
Carolynn said she was fired because she was "overqualified for her position," while her coworker was informed he "worked too hard."
After working as a freelance events organizer for a while, George Floyd's untimely death in May of last year prompted her to change careers.
"People were seeking for methods to buy certain books that I used to have to order from the United States," she told SussexLive. "George Floyd's death meant that my phone was ringing off the hook as people were looking for ways to buy certain books that I used to have to order from the United States."
"But, because I'd always wanted to have my own bookstore, I figured I'd put out a few feelers and see what would happen.
"I'm not sure if it was by chance or by God, but I was able to connect with Gardeners, the last independent wholesalers in the UK.
"At first, they didn't seem very enthusiastic, but I had met the account manager three months prior, and he expressed genuine interest in assisting."
She has faced racial backlash online as a result of her decision to solely sell books authored by African-American authors. A surge of vitriol was directed towards Afrori Books' email and social media accounts.
"As a black woman, I'm used to racist abuse; it's not like 'wow, people are like that,'" she continued.
"'Oh what if we had a book shop that only featured white authors in it?' individuals have said in a few texts.
"And my response is: The Works, WHSmith, and so on. There are numerous options available.
"I frequent bookstores, but they only have works by white authors.
"We have a mission statement that states, "Support Black authors, establish diverse book shelves, and speak up for justice."
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