Vancouver’s Black Library opens
By: Saije Rusimovici, SFU student
For Vancouver’s cultural communities, community spaces help preserve culture and provide a sense of place. As a hub for both educational resources and interpersonal connection, recently opened Vancouver Black Library (VBL) is the cozy space that does just that.
Close to the historic Black Cultural Center, Hogan’s Alley when standing, VBL is a comfortable elevated space, with handcrafted shelving, a movie projector, and several places to read or study. Located in the basement of the Sun Wah Center on Keefer Street, it is the ideal workspace for any student. The minimalist decor provides a welcoming space not only for members of the BIPOC community, but for anyone looking for a place to study and learn from a black perspective.
Founder Maya Preshyon, a 21-year-old student at the University of British Columbia, wants people to feel at home in the space she describes as “a boujee community center.” As a driven advocate for the black community, Preshyon’s idea for space stems from a desire to not only connect people to a source of information, but also to each other. As urban development has displaced much of Vancouver’s black population, VBL’s goal is to restore a sense of community to the area.
“I wrote for my school magazine and participated in the radio station [ . . . ] and me Well thought that I could find a space where I felt like I was welcome or represented, but that wasn’t always the case,” Preshyon said. She is noted there were structural barriers that prevented him from finding support in this environment. Inspired by the International Gallery for Contemporary Asian Art (also located in the Sun Wah Centre), she set out to recreate a space with a similar concept for the black community.
Construction of the library began as an almost entirely crowd-funded project, designed to make people feel like “they were in a space made with intention and care, elevating the idea of a community space,” he said. Preshyon.
The library contains a collection of books by black authors, as well as familiar favourites, with a supplement 1,500 Books on hold awaiting cataloging in VBL’s unique system. Their goal is to create an inclusive environment, decolonial, anti-racist cataloging process, assisted by volunteer Nola Boasberg. The books are cataloged to highlight the stories and perspectives told by the BIPOC community, as well as to make room for new and diverse voices.
“Categories can isolate people in many ways,” Preshyon said. “Community input and advice from librarians has been very important in making it good, and we are constantly trying to improve it.”
VBL accepts monetary donations through their GoFundMe page and are currently accepting books as well. “If you have a favorite and want to pass it on, we’d love to have it.”
Visit the Vancouver Black Library to learn about Vancouver’s black cultural history, meet new people, and keep culture alive.
