LOS ANGELES, CA (February 1, 2023) – For Black History Month, Malik Books is excited to bring the love of reading to the 31st Annual Pan African Festival & Arts Festival. During the film festival’s run, the black-owned, independent bookstore will host a book-signing and Q&A featuring attorney and television personality Eboni K. Williams, author of BET ON BLACK: THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT BEING BLACK IN AMERICA TODAY. The book calls for Black people worldwide to adopt a fresh, highly-informed mindset that will change lives. Devyn Bakewell, who serves as assistant managing editor of the Los Angeles Sentinel and the Los Angeles Watts, and a romance novelist – the author of GREATER LOVE and GREATER LIFE — will serve as a moderator.Audiences may be familiar with Williams thanks to her appearances on ABC’s “The View” and Season 13 of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New York.” In her new book, BET ON BLACK, Williams delves into some of the cornerstones of leading a first-class Black life, ranging from knowing one’s history to understanding the power of representation to investing in the sometimes challenging processes of success. As Williams writes in her introduction, “Black excellence is as much an individual journey as a collective one. I will admit that my belief in what I consider to be a fundamental truth about the place of Blackness in our society didn’t come effortlessly. My own road to embracing who I am and what I can do has been met with many obstacles in my career and personal life, a couple of which I’ll share with you. At one point in my education and career, I thought it would be easier to make myself smaller. But over time, I’ve learned how to stay true to my ideals, and Black foundation, so becoming small was no longer a viable option.” “We are excited to collaborate with the Pan African Film Festival in celebrating Black culture,” said Malik Muhammad, who founded Malik Books in 1990 at the corner of Crenshaw and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards before moving to the mall four years later. “Our bookstore provides a vehicle where people can embrace their Blackness and educate and empower themselves to connect with their African American heritage. Without censorship, a person can explore his or her own Blackness and be enlightened through the pages of hundreds of books at Malik Books.”

About Devyn Bakewell

Devyn is an activist for the Black community, advocates for women and children, and is a Romance novelist who believes Greater Love can lead to a Greater Life. In her debut novel, “Greater Love,” Devyn connects with people by bringing them closer through shared experiences. Devyn hopes that through her literary work, she can improve the plight of black youth, women, and anyone who faces systemic oppression. With Greater Life, she continues the conversation.

About PAFF

PAFF is one of the largest and most prestigious Black film festivals in the United States, taking place February 9-20, 2023, in Los Angeles. It attracts local, national, and international audiences as the nation’s largest Black History Month cultural event. PAFF presents and showcases a broad spectrum of Black creative works, particularly those that reinforce positive images and help to destroy negative stereotypes of Africans and African Americans. Since 1992, PAFF has remained dedicated to promoting Black stories and images through the exhibition of film, visual art, and other creative expressions. Most importantly, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has designated PAFF as an official qualifying film festival for live-action and animation short films. Visit PAFF.org.

About Malik Books

Malik Books is a black-owned, independent bookstore specializing in books, calendars, cards, and gifts full of cultural diversity. This bookstore is a rare gem and offers a unique experience to its customers. Book loves can find all the hottest and best sellers of today, as well as hard-to-find books, or upon request, special order more than 12 million book titles. Malik Books served as the official bookseller of the 2022 Leimert Park Village Book Fair. Malik Books offer two locations – the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza and Westfield Culver City. Visit MalikBooks.com.

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Moderated by Legendary LaQ’uita, the panel featured literary artists such as JaQuavis Coleman and Wahida Clark, who both have dominated the New York Times best sellers list to new age authors, Myss Shan and Booker T. Mattison. The panel also featured AAMBC Awards creator, Tamika Newhouse, who launched the AAMBC platform to advocate for literacy ten years ago.

The panelists spoke on the importance of storytelling and how literary artists contribute to the growth of Hip Hop. When it comes to those types of books, you often think of musical talents and perhaps the songwriter and producers, but the talent, often forgotten about are those who pen novels. With an ever-changing industry, it was much-needed to hear from these talents, and the best part was getting signed books during the wrap-up session.

The AAMBC Literary Awards is a platform that celebrates black books and black writers in a star-studded ceremony each summer. Their partnering with A3C only encourages the mission that we read and that we create! They made reading seem fun, powerfully, and the fact that we can create our stories for millions to read is pretty dope to me.

Check out some images from the Hip Hop in Books panel.

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