Ola Ronke loves books so much that the Brooklyn native holds readings in public anywhere she can.

What You Need To Know

  • Ola Ronke founded the Free Black Women’s Library six years ago in Bedford-Stuyvesant

  • The library highlights Black women authors and their contributions to literature spanning different genres

  • Ronke started her traveling library with a few hundred books; now, she has 4,000

“I started this project mainly because I wanted to do something that focused on the creativity of Black women, specifically something that put us in a position of empowerment,” said Ronke, founder of The Free Black Women’s Library.

Ronke founded the library six years ago in Bedford-Stuyvesant, traveling around the five boroughs exchanging books for free.

“The way the library works is that for every book you bring you get to take a book as long as it’s written by a Black woman writer,” said Ronke.

Tahira Jones attended Ola’s pop-up reading event held recently at Little Island, she says Ronke’s work is invaluable.

“I think it’s amazing that she’s doing this and educating people that you know Black women are writing literature, so I think it’s amazing. I really appreciate her work and her effort,” said Jones.

But ronke’s hobby has become a bit of an obsession, she’s accumulated so many books, she needs a storage facility to hold some of them.

When she first founded the library she only had a few hundred books. Now, she’s collected 4,000.

Ronke says displaying them at pop-up events has become a difficult routine.

“Every time I have an event I have to take all the books out, find a Lyft or find a ride, put them inside the vehicle, go to the space, unpack the books, set them all up,” said Ronke.

Her dream is to find a location, a storefront in Bedford Stuyvesant, to share her library with the public, hassle-free and year-round.

Ronke says her supporters have raised enough money online to cover some of the rent.

“I know it’s definitely touched people and that feels really special to get those things, especially from complete strangers,” said Ronke.

But the storefront rent prices are high, she says, and her business model doesn’t exactly put her in a position to build a business.

“I’m a community project, not a business,” said Ronke.

Ronke does all this without compensation or a profit, but she says she isn’t giving up hope because her mission, she says, is too important to stop.

“I want these books, I want people to be able to use them, I’m ready to have events, I’m ready to have story times, so, I’m just ready,” said Ronke.

To see where the library will be traveling to next you can follow Ronke on Instagram: @thefreeblackwomenslibrary.