Ujamaa Community Bookstore

06/08/2026

The Ujamaa staff is getting excited for Juneteenth! Our full day of fun includes our annual street celebration from 11 am - 4 pm! Then we'll have an afterparty at 5 pm inside Ujamaa for our 5th anniversary as a bookstore. We'll share exciting details this week!

It all goes down on Friday, June 19th! Save the date! And if you are interested in volunteering fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSenMDLFrEgzKyt8gek8oP9U5o99F8YQsN3jR5Hmt9KbOEmsYg/viewform

If you are interested in vending send us a message and we will DM you the application!

06/05/2026

We are saddened to hear the news of the death of one of history's greatest storytellers, Marjane Satrapi. Marjane is most famous for her work, Perseopolis, a beautiful graphic novel accounting her childhood during the Islamic revolution in Iran.

Marjane was bold, poetic, and vivid in her retelling of the stories from her life- inspiring a generation of readers with her passion.

To honor Marjane, we will be hosting a screening of Perseopolis, as well as having a discussion of her legacy and work. We hope you enjoy her words as much as we do.

Rest In Power, Marjane.

06/03/2026

We are getting ready for our Juneteenth Celebration and our 5 year anniversary, both on June 19th... BUT

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

We are soliciting volunteers to help us for the day and we could use a few more helpful friends.

We have two shifts available: from 8 am - 2 pm and from 2 pm - 7 pm. We need help both inside and outside so let us know what suits you best.

Please send all inquiries to [email protected] if you are interested in helping us host this celebration!!!

https://forms.gle/YWSg8NETZf6PKN3F8

05/16/2026

Join us for our new FREE summer reading program--for kids AND adults!

Local bookstores, The Whispering Shelf and Ujamaa Community Bookstore are teaming up to offer prizes to kids ages 18 and younger.

The bookstores will provide children with a free, interactive reading log. Kids can redeem mini-prizes as they reach each reading benchmark.

Youth who reach 700 minutes can win a small cheese pizza from HotBox Pizza.

They’ll also be offered either a book goodie bag or a $15 gift card to use at The Whispering Shelf or Ujamaa Community Bookstore.

The program, called Hop Into Reading, runs from May 15 to July 31.

Families can visit The Whispering Shelf, 414 N. College Ave., or Ujamaa Community Bookstore, 2424 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. St., to pick up a reading log and redeem prizes throughout the summer.

05/08/2026

We are thrilled to invite you to the annual Flanner House Juneteenth Celebration on Friday, June 19th.

We are also celebrating the 5 year anniversary of our beloved Ujamaa Community Bookstore.

We have a lot more fun details to announce but we want you to go ahead and save the date!

We are excited to celebrate with you!

05/07/2026

We have copies of We Refuse: a Forceful History of Black Resistance in the store.

It just so happens to be the May pick for the Circle City Book Bloc discussion, so grab it before it sells out!

05/07/2026

Save the date for Friday, June 19th!

It's the 5th year anniversary of Ujamaa Community Bookstore AND the date of our an annual Juneteenth Block Party!

We had a great time last year so we are doubling the number of spots for vendors at the 2026 festival!Please tag a local Black-owned business who you want to see there!

This event is family friendly! All are welcome to attend and celebrate with us!! Just bring a little pocket $$ to support our vendors and the bookstore!

We have some more suprises to announce soon!
Stay tuned!




*Note: Vendors are responsible for bring their own tents, tables, fans, hotspot, etc.

05/04/2026

Things don't seem to be slowing down for May! We are excited to see you in the store this month!

04/26/2026

Panoramic shot of Dr Adam Henze and Asra Wasik's Poetry Games workshop during the first annual Ujamaa Poetry Festival, April 25th, 2026.