This past Monday morning, a group representing a variety of ages and races (although skewing slightly younger and black) filled Marcus Books in San Francisco to listen to and discuss a recording of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Just a week before, the Oakland Post honored Raye G. Richardson, 89, who founded the famed African-American store with her late husband, Julian Richardson, as its "Woman of the Decade" and named Marcus Books, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, its "Business of the Decade."
At the same time, Marcus, which also has a store in Oakland, issued a plea for the community to step up and buy books from it. "We've got the same small-business blues facing the rest of America," said Karen Johnson, the Richardsons' daughter who runs the San Francisco store. Her sister, Blanche Richardson, who runs the Oakland store, concurred; she sees the latest economic challenges for the two stores as a sign of the times and stressed that their bookstores remain committed to the communities they serve.
The family remains deeply involved: the daughters of both sisters and the son of their brother, Billy, all work in the stores--and even their grandchildren, who range in age from eight to 20, lend a hand, marking the fourth generation working in a business that has hosted events for just about every African-American literary and cultural figure from Amiri Baraka to Queen Latifah in its 50-year history. Muhammad Ali even allowed anyone--man, woman or child--who wanted to to sit on his lap for photos during his six-hour event at the Oakland store.
"You can't get to 50 years and call it quits," said Blanche, about recent rumors that Marcus Books faces the possibility of closing.
Those who gathered for the MLK Day celebration in San Francisco, including Ross Mirkarimi from the city's board of supervisors, seemed intent on being part of the stores' future as cultural centers in the cities on opposite sides of San Francisco Bay.
"In a bookstore like this, revolutions are made," Mirkarimi said, noting that Marcus makes available written work by and about those who gave their lives for civil rights and the elevation of African-American culture.
Earlier, a teenage Asian customer observed that while everyone remembers the "I Have a Dream" part of King's speech, they forget how he spoke about the "insufficient funds" being paid by the "Bank of Justice" for people of all colors.
After the speeches and discussion, Raye Richardson told Shelf Awareness that she felt both great hope and fear on the occasion of Marcus Books' 50th anniversary. She found hope in the form of the young people--her great-grandchildren and others--engaged in places like Marcus Books. "But it scares me that reading might become extinct, that we will become just a visual society," she said. "It's just so critical that children be taught not only to read but to love reading."
Through efforts of the generations of the Richardson family and the extended family of bookstore staff and customers, Marcus Books continues to reach out to its community using all forms of media, from the books on its shelves to YouTube videos like this one, an active Facebook presence and a lively social network. As much as Marcus Books aims to continue to preserve African-American culture from the past, it also plans to be part of the future as it moves into its 50th year.--Bridget Kinsella
