Nikole Hannah-Jones , Bakari Sellers and Ciera Rogers

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Welcome, Welcome, Welcome to Malik's Bookshelf, bringing a world together with books, culture and community. Hi, my name is Malik, your host of Malik's Bookshelf. I must admit I'm having a wonderful time as a podcaster. I'm presented with these golden opportunities to interview top authors such as Bacari Sellers, the Cole, Hannah Jones, and some newcomers like Sierra Rogers, which are going to be featured on this episcope. They all three have three different topics, three different books, three

And Tiffany Hattish. Then they all three are going to be at Malik's Books. We also have a.

Big event in August with Jay Ellis and conversation with Issa Ray that's going down at the Miracle Theater.

We're looking forward to that.

Jay got a book out that's coming out in August. It's this book launch and we're gonna do it at the Miracle Theater having good time. On June twenty ninth, we have the comedian, the Emmy Award winner, the Grammy Award winner, Tiffany Hattish gonna be at Melik Books.

So you gotta come on out. It's a meet and Greek.

We're gonna take pictures, we're gonna sign books, we're gonna laugh. So come on out to Milite Books. Saturday, June twenty nine, two pm. Tiffany Hadish at Malak Books.

So that's the upcoming events.

But let me shift to the events that took place last week and just highlight the electric, the incredible, the awesome, the wonderful conversations that took place.

Nicole Hannah Jones was.

Fire lecturer we hosted at the Miracle Theater and they came out. You know, part of Malie's Bookshelf is about community, and these events are community where they create spaces with people come out and we gathered and we talked and we laugh and we share and we talk about what's important in the Cole Hannah Jones in conversation with Angela Ryan at the Miracle Theater Friday the fourteenth, was incredible, pocked house.

We talked, we laugh, we engage.

We got a tremendous amount of information that was delivered when these two powerful black women who are known all over the world sat down and talked about the most banned book in the country, the sixteen nineteen Project, and Boy Old Boy. After five years since the publication of the sixteen nineteen Project was.

Still on fire.

I mean five.

Years later, the people still came out and brought the book, the sixteen nineteen Project. Now it's out in paperback, and that's one of the reason why Nicole Hannah Joe went on tour. But five years later and people still showing up, and this was an incredible dialogue, credible conversation.

Thank you Angela Rai.

For coming out and having this wonderful conversation with Nicole. An extracting profound details about her book and about the community and where we go from here. This was a wonderful conversation because Nicole and Jone is an investigative reporter and it has been centered around controversy since the publication. This week we also hosted Bacari Sellers at Maleegue Books and that was a powerful conversation. I found it funny. He's very intellectual and most stuff for me very political.

It was a very electric crowd, explosive.

It was just wonderful to see the community come out gather at Malieue.

Books in the Westfield Cobe City Mall.

Bringing people together to discuss topics such as business and entrepreneurship is impactful. So those are some of the community engagements that Leak Books hosted and was part of. So stay tuned for this episode featuring three interviews Nicole head Of Jones, Bacari Sellers, and see Harry Rogers.

Malie's Bookshelf bringing a world together with books, culture and community. I'm sitting outside them at the Miracle Theater where it's about to go down to Cole Hanna Jones in conversation with Angela Ryan. But I'm in the back where we have the green room, and I'm just gonna ask a few questions. Welcome to Cole to Malie's Bookshelf podcast.

Thank you, thank you for having me, and thanks for hosting the book talk today.

Now, your book is the leading book, the leading band book that started the movement all across the nation. How does that make you feel and what's your thoughts about that?

I don't know how I feel about it.

I mean, on the one hand, I'm proud because you know, they don't ban, they don't band books unless they're afraid of them. Unless they're afraid of the impact that they're having. But it's also a very scary time in our country because they're supposed to be a free country, and free countries don't ban books. So I think all of the book bands are a sign of our roadent democracy. So I have great enemies, but in some way, it feels like our enemies are winning.

You know, I did when your book first came out.

I did every view, you know, because your book is a compilation of so many industries and endeavors and achievements. A lot of people think it's just all about talking about yesterday, but it's a book that really talks about now and resilience and how we overcome. And just what's your thoughts about the contribution that your book has made.

I mean, what I hope that my book has done is exactly what you said, is it's People often didn't call it a history book, but it's not. It's really about America right now, and it's centering black folks in the American narrative because black folks have been treated in the American narrative as if we're the problem, when we really banned the greatest, most patriotic, most art and freedom fighters, the greatest democratizing for us as country has ever seen,

Well, I just want to thank you.

I've been a book activist for thirty years. You know, I never thought of us. You know, I never thought of myself as a book activist, But for thirty years, that's what I tried to do to make a difference in my community. I didn't just complain about the problem and complain about our books not being on mainstream bookshelves. They only had like maybe one section. But I opened my own bookstore and I was part of the black

Well, I agree with you.

The black bookstore has always been a subversive space. The very first black owned bookstore was opened in New York City, it got burned down because it was proliferating abolitionist literature. We know black bookstores have always been places of organizing, places of liberation, and therefore places of surveillance.

So what am I doing next?

I'm opening my own bookstore and best I.

You heard it, a own release bookshelf. She's gonna open up books. I already know that's gonna be huge, that's gonna be amazing. Welcome to the book business. It's kind of a I guess, a congratulations before the congratulations before the rig cutting. But hey, now you know what's next for Nicole, what's your final thoughts for my audience on malase bookshelf.

We are the only people in the history of the United States for whom it was ever illegal to learn to read and write. There's a reason for that. Our liberation is found in the pages of books. So please support Malik, Please support all your black booksellers, and support the liberation of your own mind through reading.

You heard it first hand on Malie's bookshel Nicole Hannah Jones, thank you, thank you, thank you. Malik's bookshelf bringing a world together with books, culture, and community. Well, today we're gonna host bookari sellers at Malik Books. And guess what, I'm standing right next to them and I just want to get a few minutes with them before we do this event tonight.

Now Arriva Martin is going to moderate the event.

But I got them bay stage at Malik's and he gonna tell me about this new book, The Moment, Bacard.

Welcome man, Thank you so much for having me.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, and even more importantly, thank you for this platform man in this Malik's bookstore, your podcast.

Man, you just doing everything you're supposed to do. I like it. I love it.

Now you heard that directly from Bakari sell This brother is an attorney. This brother is on a contributous CNN. He even was the youngest elected official, so this.

Is an honor. And I just want him.

To go deep into this book called The Moment that he wrote because his own time, and it's turned well.

You know, first of all, the moment I thought we were in the precipice of a third reconstruction. I thought this was our moment. I thought this was going to be something. And then I think we all realize that we haven't even made progress, but instead we've been backsliding, and so you know, I wrote this book during that time, and I think it's timely. I think it's fit, for lack of a better word, this moment, and.

People are enjoying it. The reception has been great.

I mean, we've been in Baltimore, We've been in Philly, We've been in Birmingham, We've been in New York, We've been in d C. We're now in LA we'll go back to Atlanta, and it's just been a fascinating time.

Because I want people to get off the sidelines. Man.

I think people when they listen to your pod, when they come into your store, when they're able to just absorb all the knowledge us in here, maybe they'll get off the sideline and do that much more.

I dovate to elevate.

That's what I've just heard from my brother.

We all can contribute.

And whatever way you contribute, contribute. The moment is now. I was told, what's your thoughts on this? I was told by wise man, history will always repeat itself if you don't get it right.

Oh yeah, I mean right now we're I mean, not only are we repeating ourselves, but we're going through a phase where we're not even surviving or we definitely can't thrive. I mean, we're just trying to persevere. And I want to get to a point where we can excel. Man, I want I want us to stop having to put our shoulder to the will to dig out the ditch and finally be able to get to a point where.

We can stack and stack and stack and stack and build and build and build. That's what we deserve. I mean, we boith.

In the words of my good friend Angela Rai, who used to be on seeing it with me all the time, we built this country for free. And I hope that we get to a point where we can actually reap the benefits of our service.

We built the country for free. Can't get no more accrid than that. We all at that, whether America is gonna pay it or not, we need to reap the benefits from our achievements in this nation, because no matter what they've thrown us, we have perseverance.

We are resilient people.

And what's your thoughts in a solution going forward, how we can achieve what you desire?

Yeah, that's the question that keeps me up at night. I get a lot of hope from my young people from my children, and I think that we have to understand that we can all play a role, and we all can build, and we can all get off the sideline. And you know, this works not for everybody, but there's a certain element of us that we have to understand that we have a responsibility to other people who look

And when they are standing up, you have to be there.

But this is an institution, just like our sororities, just like our fraternities, just like our churches, and so we have to support these businesses. We have to get out and do those things. I mean, look to be one hundred percent honus. I could have done this at Barnes and Noble.

Yes, yich is correct, but I.

Wanted to do it here with you. And I think that shows that one step at a time, we can build, break by break.

Brother, that's intentional, and I appreciate that because that's intentional, and I think that that's what it's gonna take for us to be intentional. They're making those kind of sacrifice, making those kind of commitments.

Many of us don't. Many of them don't directly.

Tell the publisher I want to go to a black bookstore. The reason why it's not that many is because we don't get Bacari sellers in the headliners. And it's important that I've been doing this since nineteen ninety and I'm thankful that just recently I've been able to get a lot of headliners like yourself. But it took years, it took sacrifice.

You know.

I consider myself a book activist because I use books to be active and to make engagement in my community and to make changes. And we know representation matter and our voice matters, and I think that your contribution you on TV, you're doing what.

You can to activate us. And what's next for you?

My brother, I don't know what's next.

I'm just trying to be a husband and a father man, and that's that's every day. So I don't know what's next. But let's get through tonight and then we'll talk about it.

When you heard it live at Moleague Books for Cards Sellers, I hope you'll enjoyed that titbit.

I stay tuned. Peace, Walcome, Walcome.

Welcome to Malaigue's Bookshelf, bringing the world together with books, culture and community. We just concluded a awesome book signingling and just talking and hugging and eating and chilling.

Right here at Malik Books.

But shee Anon Rogers just did a book talk at Malik Books. Her new book just came out on the East Coast. I'm assuming it's midnight. Oh yeah, so the book is out. It's just released The Outside Advantage, Because.

You don't need to fit in to win. Talk to me about this wonderful, timely book. You were the founder of Babes.

You got a new book out and I heard the day you're a millionaire.

I love it. I love it.

Tell my audience and of fans on Malik's Bookshelf. What inspired you to write this book, The Outside Advantage.

Well, I've always loved business books. I just felt like there wasn't a business book for us, like people like me without resources, money connections. So I wanted to write one specifically for us, The Outside and I did, and it's.

Out all over the country and the world. But I need you to come to elikbooks dot com. We want to make this a bestseller.

Talk to me signed here.

You can get the sign copies at melikbooks dot com.

That's what you can get here, different from anywhere else. Now the book is out. How do you feel?

Tell me?

I feel excited, but it's also kind of scary because it's a business memoir, so it's like a lot of my personal life and struggles out there. So it does feel like my insides are out there in the world now. But I think that it's going to help a lot of people. So yeah, it's nervous and excited at the same time.

So in other words, you made yourself vulnerable.

Bo I made myself very vulnerable, and I'm usually very private, but I had to kind of shed, you know, some of my upbringing in order to help other people. And I did it. It was It wasn't easy, but it's out now.

When you know, experience is the best teacher, and so your book has offers some experience. They got you to where you at and just took me some of the difficult and highlighted points about the book.

Well, we moved. We moved around a lot, so I technically didn't have a technical room until I was sixteen sixteen, But like moving around a lot has helped me learn how to adapt in entrepreneurship because you never know what's next. So that's just one of the points. Like I have an advantage of being an outsider and coming from poverty that I could build something like this easier than other people.

I always say stability is very important for success. Yes, here you didn't get stabilized until you sixteen, but yet Boom League books. You dealt with the cars you was dealt with, and you didn't let that as a it was a disadvantage, but you made it into any advantage.

And that's the whole point is like everything that you're going through, all those struggles that you're going through, is developing thick skin, which is especially important in entrepreneurship. So you ready, you already ready, you already equipped to go.

Well, how did you know you wanted to get into fashion?

Though?

My mom?

I think a lot of the things that I thought are personal to me came from my mother. I'm learning as an adult a lot of that came from my mother. So yeah, definitely from her.

A lot of things I do came from my mom, So I definite my mom was an entrepreneur, My grandmother was an entrepreneur.

It's passed down, passed down somewhere. For sure, you got it from somewhere.

Yes, and you know I didn't.

I never thought about that often as I graduated from college and trying to find my way, until I guess I'm matured and begin to I guess, examine self, examine, and you know.

I wrote a.

Chapter in a book called The Heart of a Black Man, The Stories of Triumph and Resilience. It's thirty black men collaborating on this book, and my chapter's called from Devastation Elevation. I made myself honorable things about that I didn't share with mom into the public. I articulated that in the book. I mentioned that in the book, and I didn't know a lot of other people also, especially men, have experienced

To your book.

Yeah, for sure, share your story is going to help other people, so you might as well do it so they can learn based off your experiences.

How long has Babes been out?

Twenty twelve? Okay for a while now yeah, yeah, yeah, wow.

So that's amazing and I learned a lot because you open up the day in your conversation here at Malik Books, and you know, we want to do what we can to make your book a bestseller.

What is your most favorite chapter in this book?

Use people? It's okay. It may site back sound bad at face value, but if you read the book, it'll make a lot of sense.

Say that chapter again, Use people.

It's okay. It's okay to use people. It's actually the name of the chapter.

It's almost the same like use other people's money.

Yeah, you know, whatever works.

Well.

Thank you Sarah for sharing a few tidbits about your book that just came out today, and thank you for sharing your time with us. And the crowd was robust, was energetic, was electric.

Was exciting?

Good time?

Yes? Yes, well, thank you, thank you, thank.

You, Thank you for having me.

Thanks for listening to Malik's bookshelf, where topics on the shelf are books, culture, and community.

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