Chicago rapper Noname expanded her book club this past weekend by opening a library in Los Angeles. Named the Radical Hood Libary, the building is also the headquarters of the book club she launched in 2019.
The library's grand opening was this past Saturday and features various sections, including prison writings, global Black resistance, literature, class organizing, organizing strategies, African American history, Imperialism, and theoretical literature on Black feminism, queer theories, and more. While tweeting about the new library, Noname claimed her favorite sections are the "F*** The Police" and "Black Capitalism Won't Save Us" sections.
Last year, the Noname Book Club announced partnerships with seven cities to ensure its book club picks were in nearly 200 libraries nationwide. Its Prison Program also sends over about 1,000 books per month to inmates.
"The psychodynamics + violence of colonization can only be eradicated via study and practice," Noname wrote on Twitter. "We send about 1000 books a month to our incarcerated members who have begun to organize their own chapters in various prisons. We also provide free books/classes to our local community. I believe in the abolition of this imperialist world. We are completely indoctrinated into white supremacy + capitalism and it's killing us. The state is actively at war with black people (always has been). I love us and I know liberation is possible when we study and organize!"
The library is free to the public but visitors are encouraged to donate $1 per month to fund the library's operations. The space will also serve as a shipping and packing space for books to be sent to prisons.
