author, illustrator and founder and c.e.o. of inclusive brand Litle Omo, said the books industry has an issue with the lack of diversit and that increasing the amount of staff from various backgrounds in shops could make a big difference. “Sometimes when I go into stores and I’m looking for something that is based around my culture, I don’t feel like I get as much help as I would if it was someone from a minorit ethnic background.” Asomuyide, who is based in Essex and will be publishing her first book next month, created her brand out of a need to have more people of colour represented in these spaces, especially children. She said of her experience of the underrepresentation of people from minorit backgrounds: “I just think it’s good to have people that are there [from diverse backgrounds] to enable certain customers to feel a litle bit more comfortable if there is a conversation that a white counterpart might not be able to answer.” In Exeter, Malcolm Richards, the Black co-owner of Bookbag, a small indie bookshop, said true diversit of staff and multiculturism means embracing different communities. Influenced by inclusive spaces such as New Beacon Books in London and other commu- nit spaces, Richards and his wife, Charlie, opened in November 2020 amid the worst of the Covid pandemic. Richards said he wanted to be intentional in the shop’s approach to diversit and inclusiveness, especially around hiring staff. “Having diverse communities of people with diverse interests, and also then enabling the whole of that staff communit to have a say in the books that are bought, the books that are chosen and the books that are writen means you are creating experiences for wonder and joy for your customers.”
Richards said diversit should not just be on the agenda during Black History Month, but at all times. “Tokenistic representation is really obvious to spot and all of our communities are atuned to [it]. To any institution, big or small, had statements that support Black Lives, anti-racism, trans people, et cetera,” he said,”if you’re going to put a statement on your website or have a symbol of solidarit and claim to do transformative work, then do it.” “We definitely need to beter diversify,” Liz said of the industry as a whole. “There should be no reason, in an [increasingly] mixed societ, that so few people of differing ethnic backgrounds are working in the same environ- ment. It’s always a delight to talk about books with customers of differing or mixed cultural or religious backgrounds and discuss how they have interpreted certain books. I know this can be reflected in the workforce.”
TheBookseller.com
Five questions for...
K Bailey Obazee Founder & director, PRIM
K Bailey Obazee is the founder and director of PRIM, a community HQ and a platform for education and collaboration, and one of the inaugural New Futures programme winners. The award, run by
Bookshop.org and the Booksellers Association, is designed to support new bookshops founded by entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities across the UK. PRIM is currently a resident at London’s Not Just Another Store, until 30th June. A permanent bookshop is being planned for Stratford, east London.
01 Can you tell us about PRIM? PRIM is a unique digital platform dedi-
cated to educating, connecting, documenting and sharing the myriad of Black storytelling mediums that exist. Our goal is to make stories of African, Caribbean and Afro-Latinx fam accessible to all. From a pioneering author’s catalogue and written stories to video read- ings, films, documentaries, photography and more, you’ll find it all on PRIM. Stories created and told by us.
02 What made you apply for the New Futures programme?
The programme was offering me the very opportunity I was looking for: the chance to create my own space. Since inception, that’s what the framework of PRIM really is, a blueprint for taking up space.
03 How did you come up with your proposal for your bookshop?
I did a lot of thinking about what our community is missing. In the spaces we go to for relaxation, education, enjoyment or to work—what do they truly give us? Can we feel
at home, at peace? Do we leave those spaces feeling nurtured and encouraged? In some spaces, yes. In other spaces, we definitely do not. So what would a space look and feel like if PRIM did it? The other key part is how it cultivates
sustainability for that same community—can it support their growth? Aside from this, I believe it is important that space is luxurious and homely, yet multifunctional... a space that promotes creativity.
04 What is your background, and how do you think it will feed into the
creation of the bookshop? My background is a mixture of politics, workspace, operations and programming. In my view, these are truly all of the compo- nents required. I’m a curator, consultant and researcher with a focus on storytelling, particularly ensuring the visibility of storytell- ing by people of Black ancestry. So far I’ve has collaborated with Aesop, British Vogue and the AKO Caine Prize. All of this is what led me to create PRIM and it’s fed into a lot of what we have done so far.
05 What challenges and opportunities do you foresee in opening the
bookshop? Real estate and finance. In the beginning, these are really feeling like the greatest hurdles. The Pinterest moodboard versus the dineros. But I know we will get there—these are quickly managed once we get all the pieces in place. There is a lot of opportunity to offer something innovative and supportive. The opportunity to build not just in the physical realm but in the digital space too.
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