Walmart segregates books in to black and non-black sections

[SpankMe]

From: http://www.ohio.com/news/102043983.html

At many area Walmarts, the book section is extremely well-organized.

The self-help books are here . . . the religion section is there . . . cooking and diet books farther down . . . and right over here is the black section.

. . .

The ''black section'' contains everything written by and about blacks: romance novels, self-help books, religion, sports, even an autobiography by the current president of the United States.

. . .

At the Walmart in Montrose, Storm Warning, by hugely popular white pastor Billy Graham, can be found in the religion section. But Life Overflowing, by hugely popular black pastor T.D. Jakes, is in the black section, along with Dungy and Obama and Sister Souljah and Adrienne Byrd and all those other people whom Walmart believes are pretty much the same.


Taking a look at Walmart's cop-out response to the columnists observations, they would seem to be inferring that this isn't any different from, say, an African American Studies section at a Borders.

This is simply incredible in this day and age and is an indication of how fast this coutry is moving in reverse.

[ZombieHorde]

1. Doesn't seem right. nt

[Cali_Democrat]

73. Thank you captain obvious

:hi:

[Snotcicles]

88. I'd rather crap my pants and have my big toe gnawed off by a

badger, then walk inside a Walmart, even if only to use their restroom.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. Yeesh.

I'm surprised they have enough books to be organized into sections.

[SwampG8r]

70. a superwalmart can have

a book aisle 100 feet long and 6 feet high filled with books
on the other side are the magazines
mostly popular fiction
the catagories in the OP are usually represented
i never noticed the black section before
i will have to look as i have 2 or 3 aa authors i like to read and never see their books at walmart maybe this is why
they moniter the content of books in the same manner as they do music
so they rarely carry anything controversial
good prices for moostly pop fiction

[NightWatcher]

3. they also "segregate" the sports books from religious books,,,,

ALL BOOKSTORES SEPARATE DIFFERENT GENRE OF BOOKS!!!

Ever heard of "end capping" a display ?

it makes things so much easier to find.

[Posteritatis]

5. "Everything written by and about blacks" is a genre now? (nt)

[NightWatcher]

9. maybe a special interest end cap display?

most bookstores also do the same with childern's books and holiday books in season

[Posteritatis]

13. Do you seriously think that just because a black person touched a book it should be kept seperate?

The article isn't exactly talking about a selection of books on African-American history or something.

Most bookstores do not relegate everything written by and about one population, regardless of content, to its own shelf.

[NightWatcher]

15. Walmart also groups all their "ethnic" foods together? does that make you mad?

the Jewish (Passover) crackers arent on the cracker isle, but separated with all of the "jewish" foods

[Posteritatis]

19. Because "cookbooks" and "anything connected to blacks in any way" are the same thing. (nt)

[snagglepuss]

17. Bookstores have a separate GLBT section. One could argue this is the

inevitable outcome of identity politics/post-modernism.

[Erose999]

47. But the GLBT sections in most bookstores are not seggregated to the point that they contain every

book by or about gay people.

You can still find books by Walt Whitman, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, and Allen Ginsberg with the rest of the American Literature.

Gonna check this out the next time I visit my local Wally World. If I ever have to go there for anything. I try to avoid it at all costs.

[snagglepuss]

68. At first glance I thought you raised a fair point, however, the writers you mention all preceded

identity politics which encourages people to place themeselves and others into silos. The writers you mention in fact are 'the old dead white men' castigated and dismissed be those trumpeting identity politics. They
didn't catagorize writing in terms of identity, they assumed that they were expressing something universal something post-modernism flatly rejects.

The criticism of identity politcs is that people are in silos of their own making. I hate Walmart however one could argue that they have simply embraced this post-modern ideology.

Identity politics is an ideology I have always hated as I regard it as a form of branding and therefore an extension of marketing - this story simply confirms that belief.

[Erose999]

77. Allen Ginsberg is an "old dead White man"? While technically that statement might be true...

I think he's one of the first writers to start exploring identity politics as we know them today.

Not that Wal-Mart would ever carry anything by Ginsberg, or, god forbid, W.S. Burroughs

Identity politics is just like any other school of criticism... New Historicism, Marxist analysis, French Feminism, etc. Its a lens through which you can examine a particular subject, analyze it, and attempt to draw conclusions. Its more like a wrench in the toolbox than it is a be-all end-all worldview.

[snagglepuss]

86. I believe Ginsberg was interested in transcending one's identity. In a 1989 interview

he said "had to do with cleansing the doors of perception themselves; in which case middle-class notions and ego notions and everything else gets cleansed; personal identity as well as national or class or race chauvinist identity as well."

http://www.poetspath.com/exhibits/AGBC/




It is interesting that you say identity politics is simply a form of criticism. I disagree. IMO it is an ideology and a dangerous one in so far as it has fractured the Left.

[Hugabear]

97. Bad logic.

Yes, most bookstores will have a GLBT section...for books dealing with GLBT issues. They don't simply put books in the GLBT section because the author happens to be GLBT.

I have no problem with ethnic sections, if the section is truly about ethnic issues. But not just because a black person wrote the book. How hard is that to figure out.

[teenagebambam]

30. Except for everything written by and about gays.

Just sayin'.

[SwampG8r]

71. books a million waldens and barnes and noble all have "black" sections

they do
just ask them

[Gormy Cuss]

40. If it's just a special end-cap, wouldn't the books also be found in subject shelving?

Obama in biography, Byrd in romance novels, Jakes in religion?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. Didn't read thoroughly before posting, did you?

[NightWatcher]

12. yes, I read the op, but I also used to work in a bookstore

[Brickbat]

10. "Black" is a genre?

Interesting.

[CreekDog]

16. This practice clearly needs your valuable time to defend it

:eyes:

[damntexdem]

Oh, so they segregate into the same section all books ...

about sports, written by those involved with sports, and all those associated with sports in any way?

So, since he was a sportscaster, a political book by Keith Oberman would be in your "sports" section?

And then religion: any book written by someone known as a religious personage would be in your "religious section," no matter what the topic?

[Starbucks Anarchist]

35. Black is a genre?

[Winterblues]

44. Sports books in the sports section unless written by a black

Religious books in the religious section unless written by a black.. I think this is a little more than just seperating by genre don't you?

[EFerrari]

46. Marketing and bigotry aren't mutually exclusive, though. n/t

[lpbk2713]

4. They do the same with hair products.

I don't see a problem with it.

[Posteritatis]

8. Might not hurt to read the post. (nt)

[ThatPoetGuy]

29. This isn't what it sounds like.

This is a practice that's been going on for years, and it's supported by Black publishing groups and author organizations. Black authors have seen their sales numbers go up, and drastically, since Walmart started using those shelves. More Black authors have been getting published because of this. If a Black woman wants to help her teenage daughter find positive role models in fiction, she knows exactly where to look for a book like that.

Walmart carries Ralph Ellison's _Invisible Man_, Toni Morrison's _Beloved_, and Nell Painter's _Creating Black Americans: African-American History and Its Meanings, 1619 to the Present_. Walmart carries these books because it pays off for Walmart to carry these books, so long as they're not buried with dissimilar books. Having that shelf leads to a better informed, more aware group of readers.

_Invisible Man_ and _Beloved_ are serious literature. Walmart doesn't carry much serious literature, but it carries those.

So yeah, it's Walmart, and the people who buy those books give money to Walmart, so that's bad. But having these books visible and available helps Black authors, their publishing houses, and the Black community, especially its young people.

If people here want to find something to get upset about in the race/publishing nexus, you might want to read up on what happened to the cover of Cindy Pon's book _Silver Phoenix_.

[drm604]

41. Thank you. I'm responding to your post in the hope that it gets a little more attention.

I sometimes get so frustrated with DU when I see these long threads of knee jerk reactions by people who are completely misunderstanding an issue.

It was obvious to me when I read the OP that the situation was likely as you describe it.

I'm not defending Mall-wart in general, but in this case I do think the criticism is misplaced. Their only motivation is pure greed. What possible financial gain could Mall-wart get from segregating books out of spite or racism?

As ThatPoetGuy says, black publishers and authors support this practice and black customers appreciate it.

[Number23]

53. Black authors and black consumers have been complaining about this ridiculous practice for years

They're called "bookstore ghettos" for a reason:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/05/bookstore_ghettoes.html

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06340/744053-44.stm

http://newsone.com/entertainment/casey-gane-mccalla/opinion-black-writers-forced-to-live-in-ghetto-of-publishing-industry/

[ThatPoetGuy]

54. Your second link disagrees with you.

Haven't gotten to the third yet. The first was one opinion, and it differs from the Black writers and publishers I know, who are happy to see their books selling.

[Number23]

66. The author states that this practice "limits my sales."

but you think that means that he's okay with this practice. Because I guess black authors don't write books to make money. It's just a lovely hobby, I guess.

And that second article, the one you referred to, completely disputes your claim that black authors and publishers are okay with this:

"Bennett J. Johnson, vice president of Chicago's Third World Press and a longtime publisher of black authors, says the practice appeals to a universal proclivity to think in terms of race. In that sense, publishing is merely a reflection of how the world works, he says. What publishers don't understand, Mr. Johnson suggests, is that the practice reinforces the notion that the U.S. remains a nation of "two separate societies."

..."As a practical matter, segregating books by race and culture makes it less likely that black writers will hit the national best-seller lists -- whites make up a majority of book buyers -- limiting their chances of earning bigger paychecks.

But I guess you didn't get to that part.

[ThatPoetGuy]

69. If you want to be argumentative, you can.

But the issue has its nuances, which the article in the OP failed to indicate. The article in the OP presented one side only, and I tried to present the other side, the side that has most of the support of Black consumers and Black writers, and as far as I can tell, the complete support of the Black publishing industry.

You put forward an editorial by Jeffrey Trachtenberg, a Murdoch/WSJ shill, who presented two sides of an issue but leaned, unsurprisingly, toward the right-wing position that wants to pretend America is "post-racial." And yes, the gist of Trachtenberg's article, that the Black and African-American shelves "reinforces the notion that the U.S. remains a nation of 'two separate societies,'" is 100% in line with Glenn Beck.

Massey's and Johnson's quotes -- which are a hell of a lot more nuanced than Trachtenberg wants you to think -- are thoughtful and relevant. The separate section makes it less likely for Black writers to cross over and hit the bestseller lists. But the separate section has also helped Black publishing companies succeed, and has helped a lot of Black writers get published in the first place. Trachtenberg's concern that the section might prevent successful authors from becoming MORE successful, and his disregard for the way the section helps unknown authors find an audience, is also a right-wing slant.

This is from Tayari Jones:

"For most African American writers, this section is the only way that they will connect with the browsers, the mostly African American readers who go out of their way to read books by black authors. I have read the arguments against these sections, usually by white readers who were looking for the work of some famous black author like Toni Morrison and were dismayed to be led to The Colored Section. Each time I read such an account, I am painfully aware that the reader has been browsing the bookstore for years before noticing that the “literature” section is all white."

This is from Charlie Quiroz:

"I am troubled by the comments made on your site about the practice of “segregating” fiction. This is because for a period of time, I worked at a Borders and would hear similiar comments made about the separate black fiction section, always coming from white customers who were offended at what they were too quick to assume was a condescending distinction.

"Contrast this with my time working at another bookstore, the Strand, which does not have a separate black fiction section. Customers would occasionally ask, black customers (if that makes a difference, and I think it does and that is what the point of this is), where the black fiction section was. I would sadly have to tell them we didn’t have one, and some of whom on hearing this, left for a different bookstore, rather than slog through the whole fiction section.

"There are publishing imprints that specifically print books marketed to black readers, and the fans of these books and writers, Omar Tyree, Zane, Terry McMillian, Eric Jerome Dickey, etc., want these books all grouped together in one section. And this does then create the problem of having to put treasures and classics in with all the genre fiction, but Borders is merely (and rightly) satisfying the demands of the market, and reaching out to an audience of readers that has been historically underserved by most bookstores. They do the same thing with gay fiction at Borders. Sometimes you just want one of those genre gay books and don’t want to have to look through the whole fiction section. It is hardly “cultural segregation.” Even though it is a big mean chain, Borders should really be commended for its efforts to satisfy various customer bases."

This is from a librarian:

"I have to side with Mr. Quiroz on the African American Lit question. I worked at Borders for way too long. When I started there, our store had opted against an African American literature section for the very reasons you cited, and it was a decision I supported until we had many customers who were disappointed that they couldn’t easily browse works by black authors. Almost all of these customers were black, and it occurred to me that my liberal white guilt did not give me the right to dictate to black customers what their preferences should be.

"Any bookstore is faced with the necessity of organizing their material, and this is bound to result in some balkanization. For example, Philip K. Dick’s books are not necessarily science fiction, but because a customer is likely to want to see “where the Philip K. Dick books are,” and because he’s primarily thought of a sci-fi writer, they’re all shelved in Science Fiction.

"The African American literature issue is obviously a little more sensitive, but it should be noted that an author’s placement in the “literature” section is not a value judgment. If it were, you wouldn’t find Sidney Sheldon in such proximity to Upton Sinclair (to grab a few examples out of my ass).

"You may ask “Why not shelve them in both places?” and ideally that would be the solution, but when youre dealing with such large inventories it’s just not practical. At Borders, the inventory sytem depends in large part on a numbering system that tells you where in the store a particular title will be found. Double-shelving also makes restocking difficult, particularly if you’re dealing with small quantities of a particular title.

"Like Mr. Quiroz, I’m the last one to leap to Borders’ defense. But in this case I’d have to say that they gave the issue due consideration and based their policy on the needs of their customers. Now don’t get me started rattling off examples of decisions they made in which neither the customers nor the employees were considered in Borders’ tunnel-vision pursuit of the bottom line."

[Number23]

75. And I presented another side which you attempted to dismiss

It's not "mostly white consumers" making this complaint as you tried to assert. This is something that many black authors and black consumers have been disgusted by for years as the articles I posted highlight.

Books for us either have to reside in separate sections of the bookstore if they have any presence there at all.

[ThatPoetGuy]

80. No, you presented the same side as the OP and the other dozens of posts.

And yes, it is mostly white consumers who object to this, as all three of the responses I quoted pointed out. Two of them were longtime bookstore employees who based their conclusions on a statistical sampling comprised of years of customers, and both of them said most of the objections came from white people; one of them, who also worked in a store that did NOT have a Black and African American section, said that a lot of Black customers objected to its lack.

It's telling that of the three links you gave, one was by a white racist who utterly distorted the statements of the Black people he interviewed, in order to make it seem that they were ultimately in support of the idea that we should look past color. They weren't. They see both sides of the issue. You don't; you see it as "ridiculous" when it is complex, and failing to see the complexity is failing to see the challenges Black Americans face.

You might think that's a "ridiculous" statement, since you've implied that you're Black. I'm willing to bet you aren't in publishing, and I'm willing to bet you haven't spent decades trying to publish a book. If you had faced years of disappointment and rejection, and then seen your life turn around in the publishing renaissance those shelves have brought, I doubt your perspective would be so one-sided.

Who knows, maybe you can change the world; maybe you can stop the "literary ghetto" that you have a strong objection to. So what if you crush the Black publishing industry overnight? So what if you prevent a huge number of new Black voices from getting published every year?

[Number23]

87. Oh Lord. You sound deranged

This has been an issue that MANY black authors have complained about for decades. Black consumers have done the same.

If you wish to continue to believe that everyone black is honky dory with this and it's only white people that have a problem with every black author being relegated to some "black" section of the bookstore regardless of subject matter, please be my guest. I really couldn't care less.

[ThatPoetGuy]

89. Hmm.

It's difficult, arguing with idealists, because ideals create passion. But I admire ideals and I admire passion, even if sometimes the communication hits a brick wall. So I'm going to reach out and try to communicate anyway.

To arrive at a middle ground, I will tell you, yes, there are problems with these departments. The problems are significant, and they are real.

The departments have the potential to prevent Black writers from crossing over and reaching a larger audience.

The departments have the potential to present the work of Black writers as inherently Othered; the existence of these departments might imply that white people write fiction for everyone, but Black people can only write fiction for other Black people.

There's also something strange and unhealthy in the notion that romance novels should be shelved with sci-fi novels just because they're both about Black people.

But, on the other hand, the Black publishing industry has taken off in the last ten to fifteen years, and a lot of publishers attribute it to the sales in these departments. They base this attribution on watching the sales figures for the stores that have the separate departments vs. the stores that don't.

This expansion in sales has led to a publishing boom. More Black authors are being published now than ever before, and we're talking about large-scale print runs, fifty thousand copies, a hundred thousand copies, not the 300-copy print runs of the Harlem Renaissance.

This publishing boom has led to a lot of Black Young Adult (YA) fiction being published, bringing good stuff into the hands of young Black people who had little to choose from outside of Ntozake Shange and Langston Hughes twenty years ago, when they were curious about what it means to be Black in America.

I would love to have a long, deep conversation on the issues of race and publishing. It's close to my heart, and my career. I'm afraid, Number23, that you and I have begun our acquaintance on an oppositional note, which might prevent a richer dialogue from taking place in the future. Which is sad, because I think you and I are both approaching this issue from places of integrity.

So, to change the subject a little bit: Cindy Pon's book _Silver Phoenix_ didn't sell well. It's a fantasy novel set in China. The publishers didn't give up on it after its disappointing sales, which is actually impressive, but...

they decided to change its cover.

The old cover showed an Asian woman. The new cover shows a white woman.

Even though there are no white characters in the book.

What do you think of that? Let's talk. Let's learn. Let's start new threads, raise awareness, and communicate like adults.

[ThatPoetGuy]

81. Incidentally, have you READ Thomas Sowell?

The guy who wrote the piece in your first link. The guy you quoted when you said "bookstore ghettos."

Do you know where he stands on issues of politics, race, fairness, and equality?

"One of the biggest fallacies of our time is the notion that, if all groups are not proportionally represented in institutions, professions or income levels, that shows something wrong with society. The very possibility that people make their own choices, and that those choices have consequences-- for themselves and for others-- is ignored. Society is the universal scapegoat."

That's from an article where he slammed a "Black and Hispanic" high school senior who spoke about privilege.

In other articles he said that the Tea Party is not racist, that Judge Charles Pickering -- the pro-miscegenation judge -- is not racist, that global warming is a fraud, and that the Muslim cultural center blocks away from Ground Zero "would be a 15-story middle finger to America."

He's staunchly opposed to affirmative action, yet he doesn't seem aware -- at all -- that his success is due to the fact that he's telling lies to comfort white people. No, he says, there's no racism in society. Yes, he says, if you're white and successful like your parents, it's because you earned it. Yes, he says, if Black people don't succeed, it's not because they couldn't afford a good college, it's because they didn't try hard enough.

And yes, his belief that the Black and African-American sections of bookstores should be abolished, that they are "bookstore ghettos," is part-and-parcel with the rest of his views.

You can read his hateful crap here: http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell

[ThatPoetGuy]

55. It looks like it's mostly white consumers who complain about it.

This is from Tayari Jones:

"For most African American writers, this section is the only way that they will connect with the browsers, the mostly African American readers who go out of their way to read books by black authors. I have read the arguments against these sections, usually by white readers who were looking for the work of some famous black author like Toni Morrison and were dismayed to be led to The Colored Section. Each time I read such an account, I am painfully aware that the reader has been browsing the bookstore for years before noticing that the “literature” section is all white."

And this is from Charlie Quiroz:

"I am troubled by the comments made on your site about the practice of “segregating” fiction. This is because for a period of time, I worked at a Borders and would hear similiar comments made about the separate black fiction section, always coming from white customers who were offended at what they were too quick to assume was a condescending distinction.

"Contrast this with my time working at another bookstore, the Strand, which does not have a separate black fiction section. Customers would occasionally ask, black customers (if that makes a difference, and I think it does and that is what the point of this is), where the black fiction section was. I would sadly have to tell them we didn’t have one, and some of whom on hearing this, left for a different bookstore, rather than slog through the whole fiction section.

"There are publishing imprints that specifically print books marketed to black readers, and the fans of these books and writers, Omar Tyree, Zane, Terry McMillian, Eric Jerome Dickey, etc., want these books all grouped together in one section. And this does then create the problem of having to put treasures and classics in with all the genre fiction, but Borders is merely (and rightly) satisfying the demands of the market, and reaching out to an audience of readers that has been historically underserved by most bookstores. They do the same thing with gay fiction at Borders. Sometimes you just want one of those genre gay books and don’t want to have to look through the whole fiction section. It is hardly “cultural segregation.” Even though it is a big mean chain, Borders should really be commended for its efforts to satisfy various customer bases."

[WolverineDG]

61. this is just practice for all the "OUTRAGE over MLK Day menus" posts in January nt

[blondeatlast]

84. Always a highlight of the DU year! nt

[Starry Messenger]

62. Books don't go in your hair.

Just FYI.

[SalmonChantedEvening]

6. Moved to the back of the shelf, all over again.

:grr:

[geardaddy]

11. Yeccch.

:puke:

[BrklynLiberal]

14. Wal-Mart sucks. Plain and simple..in virtually every way possible.

I hope that NYC sticks to its guns and NEVER allows one to open here.

[Crystal Clarity]

20. I hope they do too

Wal-Mart is awful. It's nice to know that at least one city was smart enough to keep them away.

[Evasporque]

18. that is effe'd up. WalMart is evil. nt

[damntexdem]

21. Sure, it's separate -- but believe Walmart, it's equal.

Yeah, sure, always believe Walmart.

[WCGreen]

22. they have books at Walmart....

[eShirl]

25. roffle

[msanthrope]

26. I once saw a 'special edition' Left Behind anthology....the bookshelf

at Walmart (it's not even a full aisle) gives prety good insight as to what the freepers are reading at any given time.

[Erose999]

48. If you call "Going Rogue" or "the Overton Window" books, then yes.

[VMI Dem]

23. Maybe they are just doing that to get customers.

[Skidmore]

24. I don't know about the segregating but I did spend a few

moments at the area Wallyworld book section on Wednesday putting Stephen King books and books on demonic possession in front of the books by Palin, Beck, Hager, and a couple other rabid RW blowhards. Couldn't even tell that the store carried them.

[lpbk2713]

27. Never let a visit to Wally World be a total waste.

:thumbsup: :hi: :thumbsup:

[msanthrope]

28. Every visit I have to make results in a picture uploaded and posted to this site:

www.peopleofwalmart.com

[geardaddy]

50. LMAO

That sight is a hilarious train wreck. I can't look away.

:rofl:

[SPedigrees]

33. New mission for those living in the vicinity of these Walmart

stores: spend 20 minutes every week de-segregating the "black" books back under the appropriate categories.

[KamaAina]

31. So where do they put "Black Like Me"?

:shrug:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

36. The half-off section?

[KamaAina]

37. DUzy!

:rofl:

[Lucian]

32. Walmart has vendors who come in and stock the books.

No Walmart employee touches them unless he/she is scanning them out at the registers.

Now, I'm not defending Walmart, but I've worked at two different stores and both operate the same way.

[One_Life_To_Give]

34. Sometimes a Cigar is just a Cigar

If the organization is as claimed, done at the local store level. Then this may have been nothing more than one persons idea. And if not carried to an extreme, not necessarily a bad one to create a section of interest to a specific group. Framing Audacity of Hope with other inspiring stories of and by African Americans that are likely to appeal to the purchasers doesn't seem unreasonable to me. That a slave wage employee would take something like that and take it to an extreme doesn't seem particularly surprising either. Regrettable but hardly surprising.

[pipi_k]

39. What I was thinking too...

Would anyone be upset if there were a section devoted to French Canadian books, authors, etc.?

I'm of FC descent...in doing research on my genealogy, it sure would help a whole bunch to have all that information in ONE spot rather than having to go looking for it, and having it all in one spot would make it more likely I might find something interesting I wasn't even looking for in the first place.

Same for Native American...or, I should say, First Nations. I'd love to be able to find everything I wanted on M'ik Maq authors, information, etc. in one spot.


Like you said, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and anyone feeling outraged over this whole thing might want to check with people of African American descent to see if they think it's a big deal.

[LostinVA]

92. Many chains do have a Native American section

And Gay, Women;s, etc. sections. And, it is done exactly for the reason you state you wish there was a French Canadian section: for the ease of the customer, and to sell more books. If it would help the customer and sell more books to have them arranged by jacket color, stores would do that, too!

[Fuzz]

38. Well, we all know that black people don't read books written by or about white people.

Most of them can't read anyway because their schools are just full of drugs, guns and muslims.

Don't make me put a sarcasm smiley.

[NoNothing]

43. Does organizing them this way prevent them from browsing other sections?

It's not like the existence of BET somehow prevents black people from watching MTV.

[gimberly]

42. Was the shelf labeled "black section" or did you make that up to make a point?

If so, whoa. If not, so.

[LostinVA]

93. It probably sys something like "African American Interest"

[Obamanaut]

45. There is also a section in many places, not just WM, for Hispanic

music, and there is B.E.T. on teevee, and a Black Congressional Caucus.

Maybe it's done that way in stores to make stuff easier to find.

ETA One can also find kosher foods in a separate section of the supermarket, again, easier to find.

[Chicago dyke]

51. so when can i expect to see a

Italian and Italian American book section at WM? i think we should pull out all the Puzo books, and the science texts that mention great Italian renaissance thinkers, and all the ancient Roman stuff, and put it on one shelf. or a Greek and Greek American section? you know, everything from Plato to writers talking about the economic crisis there today. they're all alike, right? or one for Irish and Irish American writers? i mean, there's absolutely no difference between ancient irish pagans and modern day fighters for independence. oh, wait. segregating groups and treating them like a monolith only happens with they're traditionally associated with liberal causes, like those dirty gay people and those racist black and hispanic folks. /sarcasm thingee/

[TexasObserver]

49. It appears to part of a Walmart marketing plan to get more black shoppers.

This is based upon my observations of their advertising the past several months. Walmart appears to be making an attempt to pull in more black customers. Few organizations are more aggressive than Walmart about going after more business. They look for ways to put whisk away buyers from other stores.

Go into your local Target and walk around 30 minutes. Now go do the same at your local Walmart. You'll see a much higher percentage of blacks in the Target than in the Walmart. Walmart wants to change that. It begins with advertising which is aimed at convincing blacks Walmart is black-friendly. It has to be subtle, however, so as not to upset the tender sensibilities of the white Walmart customers who tilt toward Glenn Beck.

I suspect Walmart has two objectives in their segregated books. One is to market Walmart to blacks. The other is to isolate black authors, because of whites who don't want to pick up a book, only to learn the author is black. In much of America, Walmart is called "the Redneck Mall" by the people who shop there and live in those communities. The racism is not imaginary. It's very real.

I don't believe this was done without Walmart making a decision to try it. They don't give their managers that kind of authority.

[eggplant]

52. I remember something like this in the late 80s

In the local music store chain in West Michigan (Believe in Music). They lumped all black musicians under "r&b/soul", including Whitney Houston.

Glad to see how far we've come in 25 years. :-(

[cherokeeprogressive]

56. My library does the same thing. Fuckers.

In fact, they discriminate against many more groups than just African Americans.

I think I'll go rearrange their books tomorrow while no one's looking.

[SweetieD]

57. Maybe its not right but honestly I don't have a problem with it and prefer it

Just a disclaimer: I'm black.lol

I went to Barnes and Noble for the first time in years because I got a gift certificate. I went to the AA section. I used to remember years ago they put all AA/black books there history/romance etc. I was looking more for a black romance book. The section was so small and I couldn't figure out why. Then I realized it was basically just AA history/culture related books not all AA related books. So I had to trudge through the entire romance section trying to find some I was interested in. And honestly 99% of that section was still white romance books so I guess they just got rid of black romance books altogether.

[xultar]

79. I kinda don't mind it either. Makes my shopping quicker.

[WolverineDG]

58. newsflash: they separate books in English from books in Spanish too

so, what next for the PC crowd? Demanding that all books be shelved by alphabetical order, regardless of subject matter? :eyes:

dg

[pipi_k]

59. Can't do that, either....

All the letters belong together.

Or else they're not "equal".


:7

[WolverineDG]

60. I guess they all have to be on one shelf too

and placed on that shelf by drawing lots.

:crazy:

dg

[Obamanaut]

63. If one letter grouping has too many books, they can be redistributed

amongst the 'less fortunate' letters that don't have so many.

[TNLib]

64. I noticed something similar at Books a Million with the romance novels

But I think it is now considered a sub genre of Romance Novels.

I think Walmart is trying to market its books to African Americans by placing all the books they think that that audience would be interested in purchasing, in one place to spur impulse buying.

Is it stereo typing, I believe so and I also thing it's a little short sighted. I think whites tend to steer away from products that they might have been interested in if it wasn't marketed in a way that made them feel like that book or product is marketed for another ethnic group.

[bergie321]

65. This is shocking

You mean Wal Mart sells books? The kind with words, not just the coloring variety?

[Bennyboy]

67. Same thing with Borders..

I went to buy "Dreams of My Father" and it was in the "African American" section.

But then i thought, wouldn't it make sense to have books and sections labeled for interests? Sewing, blacks (maybe not so indelicately)Hispanic culture etc?

[Chicago dyke]

74. good krist

having an interest in sewing is NOT the same thing as being a minority in America. being black isn't a hobby, or a choice. it's not a unicameral experience like pushing cloth under a needle. i am an african american. that does not mean that i share common interests and values with all other african americans. i can't believe how many people on this thread can't grok that. defending racism because it makes WM more money is... well, pretty goddam sad, at a "liberal" website. there is NO good reason to segregate african american authors, and only african american, and not Italian or Irish or German American authors, except for racism and a kind of crude interest in profit taking. i suppose people would be OK with selling white sheets at a discount, "great for all your Klan gathering needs!" and if WM made a greater profit that way, it would be justified.

[Recursion]

83. But "Dreams from my Father" was a book about race

I think it makes sense to put it there. If Audacity of Hope was in the AA section, that might raise my eyebrow.

[LynneSin]

72. My local independent bookstore run by 2 very progressive democrats do the same thing

Why?

It's a genre of writing. They have a large customer base of book buyers who come in and buy specifically that genre of books. I mean you can't miss the section. They also have a decent size section of books written in spanish too. That doesn't mean that all black authors are separated from white authors, just that authors writing in this genre are put together - people come in that store looking for these types of books.

It's not separating the authors by color, it's creating a segment of books written for a specific genre.

BTW they also separate out the romance novel books too - which main appeal is for women too.

[Mimosa]

76. Before Wal-Mart did that I bought a couple of T.D. Jakes books

Years ago I was browsing and found a book by T.D. Jakes addressed to women. It was uplifting. I bought another, later. If the books are 'segregated' I can imagine less people will 'cross over.'

[HopeHoops]

78. Well I'm just shocked.

:eyes: Nothing you would EVER expect from WalMart. :sarcasm:

[Recursion]

82. Borders and B&N have an "African American" or "Black Interests" section too

My outrage just isn't rising for this one.

[LostinVA]

91. I know Boos-A-Million does it, too

Just like these chains have Women and Gay sections. Some titles are cross-shelved in other sections (ie religion, fiction, etc.). I don't get the outrage here, because this is a genre of books, not a "bookstore ghetto." Someone mention T.D. Jakes (Freeper Jerkwad): he's usually in the mainstream Christianity section, and often cross-shelved in the African-American/Black section. Richard Wright will be one of the "main" categories, but maybe also cross-shelved in AA. "A Raisin in the Sun" in plays, and also in AA. The same is done with many Women's and GLBT titles, and sometimes Native American.

I managed a big-box bookstore for several years, been a book buyer for a huge chain, and have worked in collection management for many years -- there is no ulterior motive when doing this. It's actual;ly the opposite: to help customers find what they need quicker and easier.

[Recursion]

95. I used to work at a B-a-M.

In VA in fact. I was in charge of the romance novels. I know more about harlequin romances than any heterosexual male has any right to. Some of them were surprisingly good, though I now have ammunition against any woman who says "women don't do porn".

But, back to the point, I agree: the purpose of putting black authors in a "black" section is to make it easier for (generally black) readers to find books by black authors.

[LostinVA]

96. I was an Asst. Manager

in NC.

I hate Clyde Anderson, and refuse to go into a BAM to this day. But I digress.

BAM sucked in many ways, as does Upper Management, but none of their practices was racist. Considering most of their stores are in the South, it would be suicide for them to do so.

I know we cross-shelved E. Lynn Harris in both Gay and AA. His books were VERY popular with straight AA women.

[Vehl]

85. I dont think this is right

Grouping books by genre is one thing..but grouping them based on race is not a good idea.

You do not see sections themed "Asian American books","Hispanic American books" etc etc....so why this?
Wallmart should get rid of this practice...it does a great dis-service to black authors if their books are placed in a separate section say than....the sci-fi...or romance...or other appropriate sections for their books.

[LostinVA]

94. This is grouping the book by genre

And, in certain areas of the country, you WILL see "Hispanic Interest" sections.

As Xultar and several other posters show upthread, this is done to improve sales and the shopping experience of customers, not to "segregate" authors. Bookstores want to make money,a nd already work on a slim margin, they aren't going to try to NOT sell books.

Most chains also have Gay & Lesbian, Women, Native American, etc. sub-categories. For a reason. These are demographics who are every interested in books dealing with their experiences, "culture," and issues.

[LostinVA]

90. Books-A-Million does this, too

This isn't unusual, and, at least at BAM, books by someone like Richard Wright is in the Lit section. I HATE Wal-Mart and refuse to go there, but this isn't a Wal-Mart-only practice. I believe Borders and B & N does it, too.

[Sweet Charming Dem]

98. I'm fairly certain every chain bookstore does and probably most indy bookstores

[geek_sabre]

99. We can't let little things like facts get in the way of a good Wal-Mart bashing