A Black-woman-owned bookstore is the subject of racist cyberbullying and torment from locals in her town.
In 2019, Tia Hamilton opened Urban Reads Bookstore in Baltimore. The storefront was inspired after she shopped the magazine she created, State vs Us, to different locations, according to CBS News. The purpose of her publication is to spotlight mass incarceration and systemic racism, amplifying the voices of those who’ve been unjustly imprisoned. She hoped one or a few brick-and-mortar spots would partner with her to sell it to their consumers. When that didn’t happen, she decided to open a bookshop to promote reading literacy and support Black residents.
Hamilton believes her business is the prey of unwarranted harassment because she’s advocating to stop the unfair treatment of people of color within the justice system and wrongful imprisonment. The entrepreneur decided to recently share the hate messages her magazine began receiving towards the end of Black History Month.
“I still haven’t really eaten, you know, and I’m barely sleeping…I’m angry, and I’m angry because this is a faceless enemy,” she told the WJZ, per CBS News.
“I’ve always gotten threats, but things really started up on the 20th [of February],” Hamilton added.
Revealing the screenshots of racist statements didn’t help stop the issue like she thought. Instead, the encounters heightened as more messages flooded her social media and email accounts of Urban Reads.
“We’re really supposed to be coming together — but instead their hate runs so deep that they want to hate me,” Hamilton said about those pestering accounts related to the bookstore and magazine.
Hamilton contacted Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott about the hundreds of threats and prejudice rhetoric, which led him to put this on the Baltimore City Police’s radar.
“It wasn’t just about supporting a fellow Baltimorean,” Scott explained to the Baltimore Banner, per CBS News. “As a Black man, I always look forward to protecting Black women. We’re just not going to stand for it.”
In fear of being physically attacked, Hamilton sought help on Instagram by drafting a post requesting assistance from men who wouldn’t mind guarding the store in their spare time. She heard from a local organization created by Elijah Miles called the Tendea Family, which focuses on the safety of women, children and elders, stopping the violence, saving the youth, shifting the culture and rebuilding the community, according to the group’s website.
Several of the men in the organization came to Hamilton’s aid and became the store’s official security team, whom she showed gratitude in an Instagram post.
The Baltimore community has rallied behind Hamilton. The Tendea family wasn’t alone in showing their support. Baltimore City Councilwoman Odette Ramos has corresponded with the business owner and verified that an investigation into the classified hate crimes is underway.
“I feared for her safety. We’re going to have to find a way that there are more protocols and ways that these things can be measured,” Ramos shared with the Baltimore Banner, according to CBS News. “I think this is going to grow. When something like this happens, we feel that kind of pride in our city is being tested. We’re not going to let it. The thing about Baltimore is that we care for our own, absolutely.”
Despite the continued negative messages, Hamilton is committed to not being “bullied” and is remaining steadfast in being vocal about the incidents while simultaneously elevating the Black community of Baltimore.
