Book trade shows support for Black Lives Matter
The UK book trade is supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in the wake of protests following the killing of unarmed black man George Floyd by police in the US, reports the Bookseller.
Upon announcing a £20,000 (A$36,800) donation to be split between the United Families and Friends Campaign and the Inclusive Indies Fund, Hachette UK CEO David Shelley said Floyd’s death ‘illustrated a more urgent need than ever for us to stand together and educate ourselves, become better allies and offer financial support where we can’.
‘All of us at Hachette have been watching events unfold after the murder of George Floyd, the most recent victim in a series of horrific incidents, with increasing shock, sadness and anger,’ said Shelley. ‘It’s difficult to imagine what the Black community must be feeling and with atrocities like this still happening, there is a more urgent need than ever for us to stand together and educate ourselves, become better allies and offer financial support where we can.’
Hachette Australia told Books+Publishing that the company will be donating $5000 to the Day family legal fund, which is supporting the family of Yorta Yorta woman Tanya Day, who died in police custody in December 2017.
Penguin Random House UK, Rachel Mills Literary and Southsea bookshop Pigeon Books are among the publishers, literary agencies and booksellers to align themselves online with the Black Lives Matter movement.
UK writer Reni Eddo-Lodge, the author of Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race (Bloomsbury), is pledging money to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, which provides funds to protesters who have been arrested and need bail.
Eddo-Lodge said she doesn’t want to profit ‘every time a black person’s death goes viral’, and pledged to donate her next royalty cheque to the organisation. ‘Because of the past week’s horrible and tragic events, I’ve noticed a marked uptick in people recommending my book,’ Eddo-Lodge said on Twitter. She is also asking that those who buy the book match the purchase price with a donation to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, or borrow a copy and donate what they would have spent.
Category: International news
