Our Story

We are not interested in taking a seat at the table, rather, we're passionate about building our own—one that uplifts Blackness and is rooted in inclusion.

- Selah Hampton, Founder and CEO

We believe that everyone should have access to books. Black people have disproportionately lacked that access since their enslavement in the United States starting in 1619, where literacy was punished by law for more than 90 years. The long lasting effects are evident and obtuse. On average, Black students are drastically lagging behind their peers in measures of reading proficiency. The school-to-prison pipeline is over-indexed by Black students. These facts of our society are all due to the systemic racism that inherently exists in the educational structures that the USA upholds.

ReTell Bookstore aims to deliver books to the source. We donate 25% of each dollar spent to our partner schools in the form of classroom sets of books.

It is our belief that knowledge is a pathway to liberation and success, ranging from mental and physical health to economic prowess.

We offer a curated set of books carefully selected to educate, empower, and entertain our readers. Know that your purchase power is directly impacting students by putting books in their hands, and supporting a Black-owned business. If you have any interest in finding out how to further volunteer with our school partners (and get a discount on your book order), please contact us!

Meet Our Founder:

Selah Hampton started ReTell Bookstore having experienced first-hand the effects of the uneven allocation of educational resources. It is her life's passion to fight for education equality. She is a proud KIPP alumna, and a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy and Princeton University, where she concentrated in chemistry and earned certificates in African American studies and dance. She serves as the co-head of the Princeton Prize in Race Relations in NYC and serves on the junior board of Girls Inc of NYC. She loves Atlanta rap music, reading Toni Morrison novels, and is a firm believer that intersectionality in Black communities must be better represented. Read more here.