Frederick Douglass Book Center
The Frederick Douglass Book Center served as a bookshop and meeting place for the minorities of New York. The center contained literature that specialized in African, Afro-American, and Caribbean history and culture. The center remained in Harlem until it was torn down in 1968[1].
Named after | Frederick Douglass |
---|---|
Formation | 1942 |
Founder | Richard B. Moore |
Founded at | Harlem, New York |
Extinction | 1968 |
Owner | Richard B. Moore |
Sales Representative | Lodie M. Biggs |
Founder
The Frederick Douglass Book Center was founded by Richard B. Moore in 1942[2]. Richard B. Moore was a Caribbean activist and businessman who stood for socialism and black nationalism[1]. The Frederick Douglass Center was launched with help from friend and second wife Lodie Biggs[3]. Biggs later went on to become the sales representative of the Center[4].
Background
Richard B Moore opened the Frederick Douglass Book Center in 1942 on West 125th Street in Harlem, New York[2]. Moore originally attempted to follow the example of George Young, the man who created the first Afro-American book shop in Harlem[2][4]. The initial stock of the center was part of Mr. Moore’s own private collection[4]. Most of the books that were located in the center, however, were not for sale. In fact, the Frederick Douglass Book Center was not considered a “store at all”[2]. The Center grew into a meeting place of Caribbean activists around the state[2]. These activists shared progressive or socialist political views. They also supported the advancement of the Caribbean economy and independence[2]. These activists included Dr. C. A. Petioni of Trinidad; historian J. A. Rodgers, A. M. Wendell Malliet, W. A. Domingo, and Miss Vivienne Packer of Jamaica; Reginald Pierrepointe, Bishop Reginald G. Barrow and Lionel M. Yard of Barbados; Atty. Hope R. Stevens of Nevis; Dr Gerald A. Spencer fo St. Lucia; Arthur E. King of Guyana; and Hodge Kirnon of Montserrat[2].
The end of the Center
The center was taken down by the state of New York in 1968 for the construction of new office buildings[4].
References
- "Moore, Richard Benjamin | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
- Turner, W. Burghardt (1975). "The Richard B. Moore Collection and Its Collector". Caribbean Studies. 15 (1): 135–145. ISSN 0008-6533. JSTOR 25612681.
- Hurst, Ryan (2008-05-15). "Richard Benjamin Moore (1893-1978) • BlackPast". BlackPast. Retrieved 2019-10-25.
- Moore, Richard Benjamin; Turner, W. Burghardt; Turner, Joyce Moore (1988). Richard B. Moore, Caribbean Militant in Harlem: Collected Writings, 1920-1972. Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253312990.
Category:Bookstores