Link: https://sacobserver.com/2026/02/char-adams-brings-hidden-history-of-black-owned-bookstores-to-light/

Until last year, the history of Black bookstores in the United States had not been fully told.

Journalist Char Adams changed that.

In November, Adams published “Black-Owned: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore,” the first known full-length book to chronicle the history of Black bookstores and their role in political movements throughout U.S. history.

A surprising discovery in Adams’ research comes at the very beginning of the book with the story of David Ruggles, the first known owner of a Black-owned bookstore, who opened his shop in Manhattan in 1834. Ruggles also was a major abolitionist figure who helped free enslaved people through the Underground Railroad.

While studying Ruggles, Adams learned that the phrase “by any means necessary,” often attributed to Malcolm X, was first said by Ruggles more than a century earlier.

“I was really honored to be able to shine a light on him [Ruggles],” Adams says.