JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Florida lawmaker is bringing a new bookstore to North Jacksonville in response to low literacy rates and state laws on books in classrooms.
Growing up in North Jacksonville, Florida House District 13 representative Angie Nixon understands the need for educational spaces within a community.
"We are currently in a food desert, amenity desert and entertainment desert," Nixon said. "And so, I wanted to open not only a bookstore, but a coffee shop and a community hub. A cultural space."
The Cafe Resistance Bookstore is in the same neighborhood as Jean Ribault High School, where according to district data, only 29% of students during last school year achieved a passing English Language Arts score.
"I just wanted to give back and offer free tutoring programs to help get the children on grade level," Nixon told First Coast News. "In addition to that, you know, I serve in the state legislature, and there's been a lot of book bans and book challenges."
Operated through the nonprofit 'The Moxie Group,' where Nixon is the executive director, the bookstore will primarily house books about Black history and by Black authors. Included on the shelves are books that have been removed from classrooms around the state in compliance with Florida HB 1467, which requires books to be "free of pornography or certain race-based teachings."
According to the Duval County Public Schools website, 13 books have been placed on the "not approved" for students list.
"Some of those books would actually teach us and our children accurate, true history, particularly Black history," Nixon said. "And so, I wanted to offer up books to help combat that."
The bookstore is located at 5007 Soutel Dr., and is set to open at the end of February. Other goals in mind for the bookstore's future include hosting tutoring programs, community events and free wellness seminars in the space.