Preserve Willa's Books & Vinyl: A Beacon of Black Culture

Willa's Books & Vinyl, a cornerstone of Kansas City's Black community, faces an imminent threat of gentrification and potential buyout. This campaign aims to protect and preserve this invaluable space, ensuring it remains a sanctuary for Black culture, history, and creativity while also supporting the owner with options for retirement.

For decades, her cherished space has been far more than just a bookstore; it has been a sanctuary, a haven for Black dreams, a repository of our collective memories and aspirations. Founded and lovingly nurtured by Ms. Willa, now in her 80s, the store is one of the few remaining Black-owned bookstores in the city. Its shelves are filled with rare and significant Black literature, artifacts, and vinyl records, each piece a testament to the resilience, creativity, and brilliance of our community.

Willa's is more than a place to buy books or records. It is a space where ideas are born, nurtured, and shared. It is where young Black children first encounter stories that reflect their own experiences, where organizers gather to plan the next steps in the fight for justice, and where elders share wisdom and history that might otherwise be forgotten. The store has witnessed the ebb and flow of the community's fortunes, standing firm as a beacon of hope and resilience even as the forces of gentrification and economic displacement loom ever larger.

Today, Willa's Books & Vinyl is under threat. While this property may only be seen for its potential for profit, we owe it to our ourselves and future generations to acknowledge and preserve its cultural and historical significance. The potential loss of Willa's would not just be a commercial transaction; it would be an act of cultural violence, erasing a vital piece of our heritage and displacing a community cornerstone. It would be an economic blow to a community already marginalized, and the loss of a sanctuary that has provided solace, education, and joy for generations.