WUSA9 | Family brings black literature to African-American community with no bookstores
The MahoganyBooks Team (L-R: Ramunda Young, Mahogany Young, & Derrick Young)
Photo courtesy of MahoganyBooks
“WASHINGTON — Derrick and Ramunda Young have always loved reading. When they were dating, they would spend hours at a bookstore, just hanging out together.
But they also knew how hard it could be to find literature that spoke to their heritage. Most bookstores didn’t prominently feature many works by black writers.
So when they thought about starting a small business together, books seemed like the right industry to pursue. In 2007, they launched MahoganyBooks.com, focusing on books written by black authors. They named the business for their daughter Mahogany and used a photo of her as inspiration for the logo.
For 10 years they built their brand and industry connections, using the internet as a way to improve accessibility to black literature.
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