The Black Star Line Literacy Bus
★ The Black Star Line Literacy Bus

Every Block.
Every Child. Every Book.

Baltimore's banned-books bookstore drives free books into every neighborhood. Your gift keeps the bus rolling to the next stop.

Become a Member▶ See the Bus
"They aren't coming to me — so I must go to them. Our babies deserve the best, the way our Ancestors intended."
Tia HamiltonFounder, Urban Reads Bookstore & Foundation
76% of incarcerated adults can't read85% of youth are illiterate600+ books given away55 neighborhoods on tour1.8M words a year from 20 min/day 76% of incarcerated adults can't read85% of youth are illiterate600+ books given away55 neighborhoods on tour1.8M words a year from 20 min/day
Why we ride

Literacy is freedom.

We don't wait for kids to come to us — we bring the books to them. See the problem & the solution →

76%
of incarcerated adults are illiterate
85%
of youth are illiterate
46M
read below 6th-grade level
600+
free books given at the launch
55
neighborhoods on tour
Bus front Bookshelves inside Family at the bus More shelves
A bookstore on wheels

We go to them.

Marcus Garvey's Black Star Line, reborn — seats out, bookshelves in, packed with banned Black books and an audiobook station. We pull up to schools and juvenile facilities, and every stop ends with a giveaway.

📚 Free pop-ups🎧 Audiobooks✊🏾 Built by the culture
Explore the Bus →
A mother and child at the bus
Real joy, every stop

Free books. Real smiles.

We gave away 600+ books the day the bus launched — and every neighborhood stop ends with books in kids' hands and a reason to smile. See our programs →

It takes a village — be part of ours

Become a member.

Monthly tiers named for our icons. Pick yours and keep the Black Star Line rolling.

Want to give a bigger gift, once? 🎁Make a one-time donation of any amount — every dollar fuels the bus.
Give a One-Time Gift
Octavia Butler
$10/mo
Imagination, literacy & possibility.
Join
⭐ Best Value
Marcus Garvey
$250/mo
Prison literacy, library building & reentry — powers the bus.
Join
George Washington Carver
$50/mo
Literacy events, book drives & the Bus.
Join

8 tiers from $10–$1,000/mo. See all membership tiers →

Black Star Line Literacy Bus
Bring the bus to you

Book the Black Star Line.

Schools, cities, libraries, nonprofits & organizations — invite the bus to your community.

Book Us →

Be Literate. Be Educated. Be Dope.

Join the readers, sponsors & block captains keeping Baltimore turning pages.

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