The North Texas Indie Bookstore Crawl is an annual event involving more than 30 different bookstores and lasting the entire month of August. Crawlers can pick up a passport at any participating store and collect stamps, each worth a single entry into a grand prize raffle drawing at the end of the month.
I recently crawled into The Dock, the 18-year-old independent, Black-owned bookshop in Meadowbrook.
The co-owners, sisters Donna and Donya Craddock, have become a cornerstone of the literary communities of Fort Worth and Texas proper. During the book crawl, visitors to The Dock can purchase tote bags of varying sizes starting at $5 and fill them with used books in addition to other discounted materials. This is all leading up to the Trinity River Book Festival, a massive multicultural showcase celebrating its fifth year on Sep 12. The festival will be attended by more than 50 authors and feature live music, discussion panels, and family entertainment. It is preceded by the Run-to-Read 5K and 1K runs, which will serve as the shop’s primary fundraiser for the year. The purpose of these events is to honor National Literacy Month and spread the work of multicultural voices to audiences who may not have been exposed to them otherwise.
When you enter the Dock, images and art of historical Black figures hang from the ceilings and walls, but the shelves are lined with books written by authors of all cultural backgrounds. The Dock is proudly and unapologetically Black while simultaneously telling all the stories that make up the greater tapestry that we are all part of. Although it is a Black-owned bookshop, the sisters make the distinction that The Dock is not a “Black bookstore.” The space acts as a meeting point for members of the community to exchange information and ideas regardless of race or culture. The mission is to connect the past to the present by telling important stories and viewing our shared histories through many different cultural lenses to be able to tear down divisive ways of thinking and behaviors detrimental to community.
Photo by Mal Collins
The sisters do this by challenging readers to step out of their comfort zones, piloting conversations, and presenting literature that will promote real growth resulting in lasting change. When the George Floyd protests brought racial inequalities to the national forefront, the sisters did not shy away from the difficult conversations but instead leaned into them and hosted them in their space. There have been many group discussions and book clubs since then, and the most recent evolution of that is the series Courageous Conversations. Hosted by Fort Worth City Councilmember Deborah Peoples and activist Patrice Jones, their inaugural meeting is Monday to discuss Women, Race and Class by Angela Davis. On Mon, Sep 21, the topic will be White Fragility. In the 2018 book, author Robin DiAngelo aims to dismantle the defensive response that white people have when confronted with racial inequalities that they feel they had no part in establishing. The meeting will serve as a space to build racial stamina and break down the defensive barriers that often stop cross-racial dialogue before any lasting change has been attained. In a political and social climate where conversations about race are deemed as polarizing and divisive, it is important that the community resists these efforts and continues to do the work that will result in lasting change.
Courageous Conversations: Women, Race and Class
6:30pm w/City Councilmember Deborah Peoples and activist Patrice Jones at The Dock Bookshop, 6637 Meadowbrook Dr, Fort Worth. Free. 817-457-5700.
