The very first stop on my Black-Owned Bookstore Tour (BOBT) was to Marcus Books, in Oakland, California. It opened in 1960 and is the oldest Black-owned bookstore in the U.S. Perfect first stop, right? You can only imagine how iconic this place has been, with visitors and speakers like Angela Davis, Toni Morrison, and Muhammad Ali coming through. As the sign says, the selection in the store was full of books by and about Black people. Something notable: I think this was the first place where I started seeing this new wave of cookbooks written by Black folks with a twist on the traditional cuisine – plant-based soul food, eating for health, etc. I love that Stop #1 on my tour was also bookstore #1 owned and operated by Black Americans.