A Proud Heritage

Whether the brainchild of an entrepreneurial genius or the fulfillment of an existing need, the African-American bookstore has become an integral part of life in Los Angeles. Eso-Won, Aquarian and Crossroads are three of the broadest-based African-American bookstores in Los Angeles. Their owners share a common vision: to provide access to books by and about people of African descent; moreover, to encourage a global awareness of the African and African-American cultures through the minds of their great philosophers and writers.

The African name for the city of Aswan, Egypt, Eso-Won Bookshop, established in 1988, has become one of the most popular and rapidly growing bookstores in the African-American community. Located at 900 N. LaBrea in Inglewood, the bookshop, owned and run by James Fugate and Thomas Hamilton, attracts droves of customers seeking the latest titles or hard-to-find works by and about African-Americans.

Says Fugate: “In addition to support from the Aquarian Bookshop and a variety of people, we really became well known through a piece in the L.A. Times View section on July 30, 1990. Our name was mentioned as a place to buy a controversial book by Shahrazad Ali.” The book was “The Blackman’s Guide to Understanding the Blackwoman,” and it inspired rage among black women across the country by encouraging black women to “bow to the authority and superiority of the Blackman.”

In describing the store’s vast inventory, Hamilton comments, “Of course, we have the long-standing fiction titles by Hughes, Dunbar and Baldwin. We also carry books and a broad audio-tape collection by such great historians as Dr. Yosef-Ben Jochannan, Clarke, Rogers, Le Grand Clegg, Cress-Welsing and Morrison, among others.” Hamilton points to “In Search of Sisterhood” by Paula Giddings as one of the store’s most popular titles. “Sisterhood” traces the history of Delta Sigma Theta, one of the first African-American sororities, and its members, from 1913 to the mid-1980s. “The Isis Papers” by Egyptologist Francis Cress-Welsing, a book about symbolism, racism and white supremacy is another steady seller. Eso-Won adds to life in this city in many ways beyond bookselling: by sponsoring guest speakers at local high schools and universities, hosting signature parties, and readings.

Less political than Eso-Won and well known for its enormous collection of books on metaphysics, the Aquarian Bookshop was founded in 1941 by Dr. Alfred M. Ligon and is one of the oldest African-American bookstores in the city. The main branch was destroyed during the uprising of April, 1992 but Ligon and his wife Berniece are looking forward to opening a new store. In response to the tragedy, Ligon says optimistically, “Nothing remains constant but change . . . harmony through conflict is what we must concentrate on now.”

Nestled in the multiethnic Fairfax district, the newest African-American bookstore in the city, Crossroads, opened its doors in 1992 at 6095 Pico Blvd. Named by owner Isaac Achoja for the “turning points in one’s life,” Crossroads also caters to the entertainment industry. Achoja comments on the eclectic reading appetites of his customers: “Most of our requests are in the area of African-American studies, but people from all ethnic backgrounds and professions come here.” He points to “Soul to Soul,” the story of a black woman raised in the Soviet Union in this century, author Yelena Khanga, as one of his best sellers.

An altruistic visionary, Achoja sees Crossroads as an extension of the community. The store offers a variety of community services, such as a visiting accountant to help people with their taxes, a separate gift room planned for African-American artifacts, and a lecture room to be used, among other things, by the Bookworms, a reading group of 85 African-American women.

Fugate, Hamilton, Ligon and Achoja have provided Los Angeles with a priceless commodity. The importance of these African-American bookstores was best expressed at a recent signature party hosted by Eso-Won. The guest writer, Dr. Andrew Billingsley, author of “Climbing Jacob’s Ladder,” said: “These men are to be commended. There should be more stores like these all over the country!”