Fed up with the tired stereotypes of Black women in film, TV, and literature, Akinmowo wanted to do something that would counter those images.
FOR BROOKLYN-BASED ARTIST OlaRonke Akinmowo the world opened up when, as an adolescent, she began reading books by Black women. “The first time I read Toni Morrison, it sparked something in my mind,” she says. “Like, ‘Wow! You can read a whole book and there doesn’t need to be any white people in it, and Black girls like you can be the focus and the star of the story.’” That early exposure to stories centered on girls like her solidified Akinmowo’s lifelong love affair with reading.
“As a single mom raising a Black daughter, I wanted better for her and her friends,” she says. “I wanted a social art project on women and girls—something that felt empowering, healing, nurturing, and celebratory. I just wanted to change those narratives, and I felt like one way to do that is to center our voices.” Akinmowo began by spreading the word about the FBWL, asking for donations and recommendations. “People just started mailing me books,” she says.
The library’s name signifies more than the fact that no money changes hands. “I named the project the Free Black Women’s Library because it’s layered—being free, being liberated as a Black woman is work. It’s something we have to turn into a ritual and do daily,” she says. “Whether it’s meditating or masturbating, we have to do things that touch on our freedom and give us access to it in a way that doesn’t feel complicated.
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