Page 11 - Florida Sentinel 2-12-21

Local
New Bookstore Is Here For The Community
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
There is a new African- American bookstore in Tampa. The new business’s mission is to bridge the gap in practical knowledge for Black folks.
Henry Broadnax, the owner of ‘We All We Got’ (WAWG) Bookstore, opened his business about three months ago. It is cen- trally located in Newby Plaza at 7921 N. 40th Street, in Tampa.
Broadnax grew up in Arkansas and was a long- haul trucker before moving to Tampa five years ago be- cause of the weather. In his youth he was a curious child, always looking for an- swers. He would read vora- ciously.
About 12 years ago, he decided to start writing and has published many books
about a wide variety of sub- jects. This pursuit eventu- ally led him to open a bookstore. His books are currently available in the bookstore.
Broadnax saw the in- equality in our neighbor- hoods and felt that people need an awakening through knowledge, particularly through books. He thought about slaves that were for- bidden from reading, be- cause reading leads to knowledge. If you were caught reading books, you would be punished, sold, or killed. Yet back in Africa, our civilizations wrote thou- sands and thousands of books, also called manu- scripts. The art of reading was taken away from slaves brought to America. “Books are the key to knowledge and that was taken away from us,” Broadnax states.
The bookstore’s inven-
tory combines a lot of Broadnax’s interests. There are a wide variety of subjects. Broadnax says his bookstore is to help the neighborhood. Nonfiction books that are African-cen- tered, and financial books dominate the inventory. There are also a variety of health items like drinks and supplements, so people can make better nutritional choices to live long, healthy lives.
WAWG is a book-re- seller and relies on dona- tions of books to keep up the inventory. Donations can be dropped by the store during normal hours. (See adver- tisement in this edition)
Broadnax also offers fi- nancial advice and sells a variety of “how-to” books to start your own business.
Broadnax is grateful for the support of his wife, Kausha, and his children.
HENRY BROADNAX
...Owner of ‘We All We Got’ (WAWG) Bookstore.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2021 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY PAGE 11-A