Bookstores and Readers Continue to Promote Antiracism Titles for #ReadIndieForward

Bookstores, readers, and industry professionals have continued to post to social media to promote #ReadIndieForward, a pay-it-forward campaign that encourages readers to support indie bookstores by gifting books to friends and family.

Promotional posts for the campaign are rolling in, with bookstores and readers continuing to post about books related to the current antiracism movement and in support of Black authors. Here are some recent posts in the hashtag:

• In a post on Instagram, one reader shared that they purchased Motherhood So White: A Memoir of Race, Gender, and Parenting in America by Nefertiti Austin from Semicolon Bookstore in Chicago, Illinois, for #ReadIndieForward.
• In a post on Instagram, Buy the Book in Texas shared that it has put together lists of books about antiracism on Bookshop, Libro.fm, and Alibris.
• Ballast Book Co. in Bremerton, Washington, also posted a reading list to its website for readers to check out antiracism titles.
• Ye Olde Bookshoppe in Wenatchee, Washington, posted to Instagram that the store now has new pins in stock supporting Black Lives Matter and Pride.
• Fables Books in Goshen, Indiana, noted on Instagram that many readers are looking for copies of White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo and How to Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi; the store noted in a comment that once they’re back in stock, readers should share these titles with others as part of #ReadIndieForward.

Booksellers and publishers can join the campaign by visiting readindieforward.com, which features downloadable social media assets they can personalize with their logo, as well as ads to promote #ReadIndieForward to their communities, staff, authors, and readers across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.