After undergoing a political transformation in Attica Prison, Martin Sostre knew he had work to do when he got out. So in 1964, he opened the Afro-Asian Book Shop in Buffalo, NY. He enjoyed mentoring Black youth and let them read radical literature for free.
But little did he know, his new bookstore would land him with a 30-year prison sentence! Why?
A detective came by. Selling radical books “can get you in trouble,” he threatened – but Sostre kept the store open. In the spring, firefighters broke in and doused his books with water! Sostre replaced them.
During the summer uprisings of 1967, his shop stood tall as a beacon of liberation. So police raided his bookstore and arrested him! That didn’t stop Sostre from fighting back.
At his hearing, Sostre called out the anti-Blackness of the bail system. His bail was $50,000 because police said he was rich from “selling drugs.” But when Judge Jacob Latona denied the obvious set up, Sostre had had enough.
“You are nothing but a white racial bigot in judicial robes and you know it!” he yelled. “Nothing but a Southern racist, Northern style!” So Latona demanded he be bound and gagged!
The exhausting lengths authorities went to silence Sostre makes one thing clear: When we take control of our own education, they fear that we’ll challenge their systems and win!