A Home for Harriett’s Bookshop

Harriett’s Bookshop, named after historical heroine Harriet Tubman, opened weeks before the pandemic hit by founder and owner Jeannine A. Cook in Philadelphia. With much support from her sister, Jasmaine Cook, Jeannine started the bookshop with a mission to celebrate women authors, activists, and artists. Facing and pulling through all of the challenges that came with owning a business through a global pandemic, Jeannine’s work has taken on a larger role in the fight for sovereignty and protection of Black women. 

Becoming a place of comfort and strength in the neighborhood, Harriett’s is a space filled with spirit and passion for literature — celebrating the power that books can hold for a community. With Harriett’s lease ending in July of this year, the pressure of finding a new location after so much was invested in their current space, is a daunting and disappointing challenge. Jeannine and Jasmaine are determined to find a permanent home for the bookshop — one they can pour their souls into for years and generations to come.  

Want to help? Head to their GoFundMe page and donate: A Home for Harriett’s Bookshop

The search for a permanent home echos the themes of a newly released short documentary on the bookshop, produced and directed by Raishad Momar and Aidan Un. In the documentary they drive home the sentiment that “true autonomy is only achieved through ownership.” 

Watch the documentary here: Stories in Place, Harriett’s Bookshop

We wanted to see how we could help. So, VideoAmp’s Employee Advisory Group (EAG) kicked off a Platform Initiative that leverages our market-leading products and technology (what we know and do best!) to amplify Black-owned businesses. As such, the EAG is proudly launching a pro-bono campaign to help Harriett’s Bookshop purchase a permanent storefront of their own, through the support of online donations.