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| Rooted MKE in progress. | |
Rooted MKE, a children's bookstore with a focus on stories by and about Black people, Indigenous people and people of color, will open this month in Milwaukee, Wis. Owner Ashley Valentine told SpectrumNews 13 that the bookstore, located at 5312 W. Vliet St., will also serve as a space for tutoring and craftsmaking.
Valentine, a Milwaukee native whose background is in education, is a lifelong reader and said she couldn't "remember a time where I didn't want to own a bookstore." She added that when she worked as a teacher, it was difficult to find diverse books representative of students of color, and she always felt there was a need for a diverse bookstore in Milwaukee.
"If you're trying to create a space for kids I think it's really critical that you bring in different perspectives of who Brown people are," Valentine said. "Let them absorb that as they start to make decisions of their own."
She noted that all children and families will be welcome in the bookstore, saying "It's important that everyone become exposed to more than what they feel comfortable with and more than what they perceive on an everyday basis."