"What is our mission as a bookstore at this time?" Louise Erdrich, author and owner of Birchbark Books, Minneapolis, Minn., posted yesterday on her Facebook page. "We have always worked to provide accurate and fair information on all subjects. Our specialty is Native American and Indigenous history and culture. We ship our books to schools, colleges, libraries. We spread our books throughout the city via Indian Health Board, Powwow Grounds, and Little Free Libraries.
"Now we need to do more. This election has dizzyingly high stakes. We can't afford another 4 years of racist cruelty, militarized police, lies, ramped up climate heating, and deadly out of control disease. The horror of police dealing death with impunity must stop. Philando Castile, Jason Pero, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and so many others should be here, going about their lives. And our climate, our home, our earth....
"Our bookstore will be working with Movement Voter Project and Native Vote to help keep trusted local people working in swing states to get out the imperiled vote. I will be hosting Zoom session conversations with other writers to fundraise for Movement Voter Project, and I hope you will join in! Stay tuned here for information. Peace, justice, books. Vote."