#blacklivesmatter

I am uncomfortable.  And that discomfort is nothing compared to centuries of pain people of color and their ancestors have suffered at the hands of my ancestors.  While I may be uncomfortable, I can breathe.  I can walk down the street and feel safe.  I can be pulled over in my car without fear of being beaten or dying because I am a white woman brought up with extreme privilege.  I will never worry about my children the way a black mother worries about hers.

I began Page 1 Books because I am a reader and I love the power of books.  I believe that power is a power for good.  No matter how many times I imagine what it must be like to be a person of color in America today, I can’t know.  I can’t ever know.  The closest as I can come is to live in that experience through books. 

Michelle Obama said today that defeating racism begins with a self-examination and listening to those whose lives are different from our own.  Many of those stories are in the wonderful books we put in your boxes and on our shelves.  We will commit to being a positive conduit for those stories and to offer what we can to help with this ongoing tragedy.

We have created a curated list on our Bookshop page and will donate 100% of the proceeds from those to The Black Lives Matter organization, the ACLU, and the NAACP indefinitely.  Readers, join us in this self-examination and effort to turn this horrible tide.

You can find our Black Lives Matter reading list HERE.