Support your local bookseller; National Black Booksellers Week is June 15-22, 2002. (market buzz).

For African-American booksellers, it is as Dickens wrote, "the best of times and the worst of times." Target Market News estimates that black book buyers spend more than $300 million each year. Book clubs and reading groups are at an all-time high. And African-American writers are no longer anomalies on the best-seller lists. But the increase in black authors, books, readers and spending has not necessarily translated into a boom for black booksellers.

Of the roughly 300 African-American bookstores nationwide, several have already closed-up shop, while others are in danger of going under. Many are being squeezed by competition from bookstore chains, on-line booksellers and books sold through discounters, such as Target and Wal-Mart. The larger retailers are able to offer budget-conscious readers substantial discounts and other inducements not available in independent bookstores.

"I love black bookstores because they first loved me," says best-selling author E. Lynn Harris. "They held me up when I was down and have been a lifeline to hundreds of wonderful writers with stories that had to be told," he says. "Whenever I walk into a black bookstore, I feel safe, loved and at home."

Black booksellers emphasize the personal touch they can give African-American consumers. "We carry a selection of books black readers want. Their tastes often run counter to The New York Times best-seller list. We know what our customers want and can hand sell [personal sales technique] to them," says Emma Rodgers of Black Images Book Bazaar in Dallas. "Creativity is the key to giving our customers what they want," she adds.

That creativity led the African-American Task Force of the American Booksellers Association (ABA) to establish National Black Booksellers Week (NBBW) in 1997. The event is held the third week in June to coincide with Juneteenth, the African-American celebration that commemorates June 19, 1865, when Texans received news of the Emancipation Proclamation.

The purpose of National Black Booksellers Week is "to educate the public about the role of the black bookstore in the community as a gathering place, using Juneteenth as the focus," says Jill S. Perlstein, director of marketing services for ABA/Book Sense. She says the event's general theme of "Keeping Us Connected" has been a constant since the inception of NBBW. "However, for this year's celebration we will be publishing a Juneteenth/African-American Book Sense 'Top Ten 76' list for all booksellers that will be released in June.

Rodgers likes the idea because it combines old and new Afrocentric traditions. "Our celebration of NBBW takes the self-determination principle (kujichagulia) of Kwanzaa and joins it with Juneteenth," she says.

But what if your area doesn't have a black bookstore? Book buyers without a local African-American bookstore can still show their support by purchasing books from stores with an online presence. "The Internet has made us more accessible," says Rodgers. "Our store has a website (www.blackimages.com). Others, like Cushcity in Houston (www.cushcity.com), Irmine's in Florida (www.irmines.com), Sisterspace and Books in Washington, D.C. (www.sisterspace.com), all have websites," says Rodgers.

Black Images Book Bazaar holds an annual children's poetry event and book signings as part of its weeklong Juneteenth celebration.

Other Suggested Activities for National Black Booksellers Week

* Launch a summer reading program with your local school or library. Be sure the book list includes books about Juneteenth. Set up a program to award any child who has read "19" NBBW-suggested books by the start of the school year with a book from your store or a gift certificate for your store.

* Invite a local book-study group to meet at your store and exchange ideas. Consider inviting an African-American author to speak.

* Invite community groups to meet at your store. Make your bookstore an inviting place; you may cultivate new customers beyond Juneteenth celebrations.

* Host a special children's story hour, featuring books about Juneteenth. Encourage the participants to act out the stories.

* Display books, posters, and other materials about Juneteenth, black history and black heroes.

* Work with a local school and ask the children to draw, act, or write (depending on the age group) about Juneteenth. Display the projects in your store window, on a table, or wall, or invite youngsters to perform in your store.

* Donate books about Juneteenth to your school, public library, senior citizens center, or homeless shelter.

* Hold a read-a-thon, inviting local students, teachers, journalists and community leaders to participate.

* Arrange a field trip to your bookstore, during which children can enjoy a storyteller, a speaker, or learn a craft.

* Hold a special children's storytelling event, or perhaps have an older person recount local African-American history.

* Write an article for a local newspaper or magazine. And make sure to keep the media in your community aware of all your activities during Juneteenth.

* Send a special mailing or newsletter to your customers inviting them to visit your store during National Black Booksellers Week. Include information about the significance of Juneteenth.

* Work with a local literacy organization, or hold a spelling bee or history quiz in your store.

* Help African-American families or children make a family tree.