The ABA Board of Directors met last week and approved the ABA Nominating Committee’s recommendation for board officers for the 2022 election, including two new candidates for board director vacancies: 

• Raquel Roque of Books & Books, Coral Gables, FL
• Jeff Deutsch of Seminary Co-op, Chicago, IL

(Current board member Kris Kleindienst’s second term is ending and current board member Michelle Malonzo will be leaving the board as she is reducing her hours at Changing Hands to a part-time role so she can work as Head of Operations at The Word, a Storytelling Sanctuary.) 

Read the full announcement. A ballot for the 2022 board elections will be sent to ABA members via email the week of March 11.

Led by author and expert Jason Thompson, this session will help stores be effective in their commitment to representation, equity, and access. A DEI audit checklist will help stores look at every aspect of their business — from hiring and training to signage, social media, and inventory — through a DEI lens, and a discussion of goals and metrics will help ensure measurable success. Jason Thompson is a successful and experienced diversity officer that has developed and led diversity programs in higher education, sports, healthcare, and tech. He has been quoted by the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian, USA Today, and CNN. His education session for the ABA Board was extremely well received with some directors calling it the best session on this topic they’ve participated in.

Join us virtually on February 17 from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm ET for a Town Hall. This is an opportunity for booksellers to participate in an open discussion about industry and association issues. 

The full board will respond to questions and comments from bookstore owners and booksellers; those who would like to send questions in advance can email [email protected]. Register.

In addition to being a space for you to ask questions and express concerns, it’s a space for the ABA Team to hear how we can better serve your needs. Here’s the difference between the ABA Board and the ABA Team: The job of the ABA Board is to represent member bookstores and to create the ABA ends policies, broad outcomes that the ABA is charged with accomplishing on behalf of members. It’s the board’s job to create the ends policies and the CEO’s job to interpret them then lead the ABA staff in achieving them as they see fit. 

Never been to a Town Hall? No problem! Take a look at the recap of our last meeting, which covered concerns about publishers and wholesalers, supporting small and BIPOC presses, and more.

Here are a few tips and resources to leverage the movement:

• Build coalitions with your local Black-owned businesses. Take Shopping Black-Owned beyond February through year-round networking and support.
• Guide your community in finding local Black-owned businesses by compiling or searching for existing lists and share them in a newsletter or on social media.
• In addition to these logos, social media examples, and assets from Shop Indie Local, think about in-person and digital displays of inventory to share with your customers.

It’s not too late to partner with AMIBA as a bookstore! Several bookstores have already added their name to the list of partners.