BALTIMORE — Six years after opening her doors, Urban Reads Bookstore owner Tia Hamilton is doubling down on her mission: inspiring young readers, restoring hope through literacy, and reaching the people who need books the most — even if she has to bring the books directly to them.
Hamilton says the stakes are too high for anyone to ignore.
“We can't just turn a blind eye to these youth and think that, oh, take them to jail and think that's gonna solve something. It's only creating more chaos.”
From the start, Hamilton says she has seen firsthand how deeply literacy could connect families; especially when engaging young readers.
“First thing I say to them is, 'you want a superpower?” It instantly gets their attention. They’re like, ‘Yeah, how we do that?’ You gotta read. There’s nothing more powerful than picking up a book and reading and connecting your imagination with that book.”
Her free outdoor library proves there is a hunger for learning in the city. On the daily, she fills it up with several books and she says it has yet to go 24 hours without being empty.
She believes it's just another sign that God placed this mission on her path.
“It’s not me, it’s God," she said. "That magazine was in my dream. This bookstore was in my dream. Now this [literacy bus] is in my dream.”
Hamilton didn't get here without facing her fair share of opposition. She battled against hundreds of racist messages and threats. Click the link to see her interview with WMAR as members of the community came together in solidarity, to stand with her.
“They thought I was gonna be a little Black girl and just shut down because they said so. No — you got the wrong sister, you got the wrong soldier.” And she carries the spirit of freedom fighters with her thanks to her heroes like Malcolm X, Harriet Tubman, Nat Turner and Marcus Garvey.
“I am everything [all of them] rolled into one.”
Hamilton says she works in a way her ancestors, her community, and her children can be proud of.
Hamilton’s next dream is already underway: a mobile library designed to travel through all 55 Baltimore communities.
“They aren’t coming to me, so I must go to them.”Every seat inside the bus will be replaced with bookshelves.
“These seats are gonna get removed and we’re gonna build bookshelves all through the bus on both sides.” The bus will be built with the help of Black-owned and formerly incarcerated-owned businesses, a reflection of Hamilton’s belief in community empowerment.
The project’s name: The Black Star Line, in honor of Marcus Garvey.
Hamilton says she ultimately wants a fleet of mobile literacy buses rolling through Baltimore and she's calling on the community to help bring the book bus to life:
Community members can now support the project online through GoFundMe:
👉 Donate HERE to help complete the Black Star Line book bus.
Hamilton, who has experienced what it's like to be incarcerated and turn her life around, continues to support families affected by the justice system.
“We send books to children with incarcerated parents… [we get] their age, their address — and I’m sending these books to them in [their parents] name.” Her store features revolutionary authors, history texts, and books she says connect directly to today’s struggles.
“Any revolutionary book is very popular… because what they were talking about back then is still happening today. It’s very important to grab that history to understand why things are happening today.”
Hamilton says she isn’t a traditional educator — but embraces the roles her community needs.
“I’m not a teacher, I’m not a mental health therapist, I’m not a psychologist… but I act like it.” And her message for others:
“Walk in your truth, walk in your purpose, and everything — everything — will work out.” With the Black Star Line book bus on the horizon, Hamilton believes the city’s literacy movement is just getting started.
