Vic Mensa Gifted A Black Woman-Owned Bookstore In Chicago A Check That Will Cover The Rest Of Its 2024 Lease
Vic Mensa is keeping his commitment to being a vessel of light in his hometown with another generous donation to a small business.
On March 13, the Chicago rapper visited a local Black woman-owned bookstore, Da Book Joint, to personally hand them a check for $7,200 to ensure the doors of their brick-and-mortar remain open. The money came from the “Blue Eyes” artist’s cannabis brand 93 Boyz, aka Chicago’s first Black-owned marijuana brand available for public consumption. The $7,200 donation will cover the remainder of the storefront’s 2024 monthly rent, AfroTech reported.
Co-owners of the bookshop, Verlean Singletary and Courtney Woods, founded the store in 2007 to assist the youth living in the Southside of Chicago to grow their muscles in the area of literacy as well as give them a safe place to enjoy themselves. They offer a wide variety of books and host events like their annual book fair with free books and school supplies, book club meetings for the Chicago chapter of NoName Book Club, and Book and Brunch that includes a catered breakfast, a discussion about books, and a free publication to take home for kids, youth and adults.
In addition to the events, customers can also book three different sessions for their visit: Shop & Read for $1, Date Night Session for $50 and Shop and Read with Snacks for $30. To show appreciation for Mensa’s unexpected contribution, they posted some pictures on Instagram of themselves and the activist with the large yellow check to thank him and share the news with their supporters.
“Hey family! This has officially been the best Wednesday ever! We are thankful. We are honored. We are grateful. We are truly living a dream right now,” the caption read. “Thank you so much to @vicmensa and his entire @93boyz team for blessing us today by covering our rent for an entire year. Thank you for seeing our mission and helping us stand in our purpose. You are that breath of fresh air we needed. His generosity ensures our doors stay open for all book lovers and dreamers. This act of kindness touches our hearts deeply and reaffirms the power of community and support.”
It continued, “Thank you, Vic Mensa, for lighting up our world with hope and generosity! ???? More official photos and videos coming! We can’t wait for you to see the phenomenal interview we filmed today!”
Mensa’s decision to make a donation to the bookstore aligns with an initiative the 93 Boyz launched called Books Before Bars, which sends books to those who are incarcerated.
“The goal of Books Before Bars is to bring liberation and freedom to people who are incarcerated through literature because I believe strongly that when you change your inner reality, you begin to influence your external reality,” he told AfroTech in 2022.