Medu Bookstore celebrates with monumental awards

Medu Bookstore at Greenbriar Mall was honored with two state awards Saturday — just a month before the literary hub closes for good after 35 years.

Light refreshments were served as patrons held a reunion within Medu. Women sifted through tote bags that uplifted Black femininity, while other patrons checked out T-shirts that promoted Black American history.

There was a consistent line swinging out the door of customers waiting to purchase books, even after the event was supposed to end. Mall shoppers peered inside the store to get a glimpse of what was happening.

The celebration, hosted by the Nu Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, was a moment for community and reflection.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity we have to celebrate,” said Dianna Brooks, deputy legislative director for the Georgia Secretary of State. “We thank you for your unwavering commitment.”

Brooks called Medu Bookstore a pillar of the Greenbriar community.

“You have provided hope and insight and opportunity for our authors, so that our stories get told. So that our voices are heard,” Brooks directed to Medu owner and founder Nia Damali. “For that, we can never repay you.”

On behalf of the secretary of state, Brooks gifted Damali an Outstanding Georgia Citizen Award, and an Outstanding Georgia Business Award went to the bookstore.

“We appreciate you,” Brooks told Damali. “I appreciate the fact that you’ve inspired others to open their own bookstores in other parts of the metropolitan area. Without you, they would not have opened.”

Damali emotionally thanked the crowd as she accepted the awards.

“Thank you all for keeping me open and taking care of me all these years,” she said.

Damali opened Medu Bookstore in 1989 after moving to Atlanta from Chicago to attend Clark College — now Clark Atlanta University. Inspired by the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, Damali always had an interest in words and is also a published writer.

However, she put her writing on hold while operating Medu Bookstore.

“We are so grateful,” Damali told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “This journey has been a long journey, but it seems like it was yesterday.

Brooks encouraged people to follow their dreams, particularly those with entrepreneurial ambitions.

“When an Outstanding Georgia Business Award is given, it is normally given at the behest of someone who feels as if that business has had a significant impact in the community,” Brooks said.

“Without a doubt, Medu Bookstore has had a significant impact. And not just the local community, but in a broader sense and communities everywhere. This was a haven for authors of color, women and other people who were brown and Black, to tell their stories and to have their voices heard.”