Roots Bookstore & Market is the only bookstore in Liberty City, Miami's historically Black neighborhood that has long faced economic challenges and underinvestment.
It recently celebrated its first anniversary with a book fair on Juneteenth — the federal holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans.
The milestone carries forward a vision first imagined by the late Danny Agnew, a South Florida community leader and businessman who died in a car accident three years ago.
Agnew co-founded The Roots Collective and helped lead the Dream Defenders, an organization dedicated to social justice which was founded following the death of Treyvon Martin. Agnew described his work as “artspreneurship” — he’d promote business and culture as a means to uplift the community.
Danny’s brother Philip Agnew co-owns Roots Boosktore and works with other Roots Collective members to further Danny’s vision of building a literate and creative hub within Liberty City.
As he sat beneath a mural of Danny that is the heart of the Roots Bookstore, Philip told WLRN that Roots Bookstore and Market's first year not only offered opportunities to the community, but showed him things he didn't even know Liberty City was craving.
"I knew that Black, Latino, poor, Indigenous people were readers. People who love Liberty City and live in Liberty City were readers. I did not know how many were writers," he said. "People got a lot to say, and people are putting it on paper and getting it printed and bound and produced."
Among some of the local black authors Philip said Roots has been able to highlight, some who had never been published before, are Kenisha Anthony, Benson Cadet, Marvin Dunn, Ronald Black Jackson and Simone Russell.
READ MORE: Liberty City’s only bookstore plants seeds for a brighter future
Philip says the success of the project has "blown" his mind. "It's grown to be far more than I ever imagined," he said.
At the Roots Book Fair on the June 19 holiday, Roots’ mission was on full display. There were local author readings, book signings and spoken word performances as well as an appearance by City of Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins. An intern from the City of Miami is working with Roots over the summer, which Philip says is a welcome assist since the bookstore is primarily volunteer led and only has one full-time employee.
WLRN’s Sofia Zarran spoke with Philip Agnew about how Roots has been promoting literacy, cultural engagement and community empowerment as well as its plans for the future.
The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
WLRN: It's been a little over a year since Roots first opened. Looking back, what stands out most about the first year?
AGNEW: I see what we have been able to build over the last year as a collective effort. I see little vignettes in my mind of people who have come and donated books, people who have come and had little meetings, book clubs, photo shoots, film viewings, live music things.
People who have made the ideas that they had in their mind for things to bring their community or their friend group together, made them real here at Roots. We didn't have a cafe when we first opened, and now we have a cafe in here, The Matcha Editor, a Black-owned business — a woman-owned business — here that is just doing incredible work in bringing folks who haven't had matcha, who love matcha, who love coffee, into Roots.
So, I just see the year marked by a lot of growth, a lot of love, a lot of laughter, a lot of learning.
So when you first opened the bookstore, what was your image for it? What were you thinking it'd become and then has that vision changed?
The bookstore is everything that I imagined that it would be.
Right now I'm sitting in the bookstore. There are about seven people in here. Some people are at tables having a meeting, sipping on some coffee. The cafe is small, but it's really, really mighty. And Dana, the barista, is making some incredible matcha. I'm in here able to have a meeting up under this mural of my brother Danny.
It's grown to be far more than I ever imagined. The people who have come in here, the ideas that people have for the space, the vendors that came and were a part of the Black book fair that Isaiah [Thomas, fellow co-owner of the bookstore] and his team put together for Juneteenth; the number of people who are coming in curious about reading, and the number of people who have come in who have written books... has blown my mind.
You know, I didn't know... I knew that Black, Latino, poor, Indigenous people were readers. People who love Liberty City and live in Liberty City were readers. I did not know how many were writers. And that has been the biggest surprise that I think I felt is like, damn, people got a lot to say, and people are putting it on paper and getting it printed and bound and produced.
How has Liberty City as a community embraced the bookstore? It sounds like definitely people are showing up and using it as this third space. You mentioned people writing books. Is there a moment or specific interaction where you were like, "This is why we opened this place"?
I’ve had five, at least, instances over the last year where I have been a witness to the author of a book sitting in the bookstore and someone picking up their book, asking about it, and I've been able to say, "Well, the author of that book is right here. I'll let them answer it for you."
I've been able to do that at least five times and that's just been such a cool thing to be able to see.
I was here where the author of one of our books called JITS [With Da' "JITS" Coloring Book by Ronald Black Jackson]. He designed it based on his experiences growing up in Liberty City. He has characters in the book named after people that he grew up with in Liberty City. And one day, a little kid who happened to have the same name as one of the characters in this book was in the store. While he was in the store, I got a video of him reading the book and reading the story with this kid's name in the book to this kid, and the kid just being so amazed.
Like, "My name is in this book, coincidentally," and I got to experience that, so that's the type of stuff that the bookstore has been able to do that I never would've been able to envision.
"I think Danny is with us every day, and Danny's just like... 'This fun. I told y'all. We doing it. It's great.'"Philip Agnew
Looking to the future, what are you guys hoping Roots will look like five years from now?
In five years you will hear about Roots Black House Publishing, Roots Productions, Roots Clothing, Roots Music, all over.
When you come to Miami, we will be established as an institution that people come to when they come from out of town, that people partner with around the world, and that is known as a space for community people to come to connect, to learn.
What do you think Danny would say about all that you guys have accomplished in this past year?
I really love this question because, the way that I view transition and people passing on is a little bit different than I once [did]. I don't think Danny would say anything. I think Danny is with us every day, and Danny's just like, "Yo, this is fun, isn't it?" So that's what I think. He like, "This fun. I told y'all. We doing it. It's great."
He wouldn't say, "I'm proud of y'all," or nothing, 'cause he's here actively doing the stuff with us.
