The Liberation Station bookstore - North Carolina’s first Black-owned children’s bookseller - will launch with a three-day celebration that kicks off Saturday.
“We have a bass baritone by the name of Mark Hill Williams who will be ushering in our customers while singing ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ as soon as we open,” the store’s founder Victoria Scott-Miller said. “And that will be followed by our ‘Big Black Book Signing.’ We have 10 authors and illustrators from all across the country that we have invited to come and sign books on the spot.”
Sunday's “White Glove" program requires registration. The first 15 children will wear white gloves and have the opportunity to interact with literary artifacts from historic figures such as James Baldwin.
On Juneteenth, children and their parents will be escorted by Black equestrians on horses, walking from the Capitol to the bookstore.
“The intentionality behind opening up is to say that not only are we going to plant ourselves in the heart of downtown Raleigh on a historic street, but we're also going to amplify voices through literacy,” Scott-Miller said. “So while everybody else is focusing on themselves, we'll be focusing on the children.”
Every event for the grand opening celebration is free and open to the public. Liberation Station is located in a micro-suite at 208 Fayetteville St. in downtown Raleigh.