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Save 1 Million Black Books
0% complete
£42,027 raised of £50K
1.6K donations
Save 1 Million Black Books
One of Britain's Largest Collections of Black Books Is Under Threat — Help Us Save It
Our immediate target: £25,000 to secure the building.
My name is Pepukayi. For more than 50 years, I have dedicated my life to making Black books available to my community.
I started in the 1972, when Black books were almost impossible to find in Britain. I became one of the first distributors of Black literature in this country, supplying readers, schools, libraries and community organisations who had nowhere else to turn.
Over half a century later, I have built a collection of more than one million Black books — housed at the Maa Maat Centre on Tottenham High Road, London. Many of these titles are rare, out of print, or extremely difficult to replace.
I am 76 years old. I have been through two major operations. And I am still fighting to keep this vision alive.
But I cannot do it alone.
Years of financial pressure, repeated break-ins, and the worsening condition of the building have left this collection locked away from the very people it was meant to serve. The books are here. But right now, they cannot be properly catalogued, displayed, or made accessible to the public.
That is why I am asking for your help.
£25,000 needed now to secure the building
This is Phase 1 of a three-phase plan to reopen the Maa Maat Centre. You'll see exactly what your donation builds before we ask for the next phase.
Phase 1 — £25,000: Secure the building
[Current phase — donate here first]
After repeated break-ins, the collection itself is at risk.
- Securing the building against further break-ins — £20,000
- Immediate emergency works and contingency — £5,000
What success looks like: the collection is safe, and we stop losing books and equipment to break-ins.
Phase 2 — £25,000: Open the doors safely
[Unlocks once Phase 1 is funded]
- Making the premises safe and accessible to the public — £25,000
What success looks like: for the first time in years, people can physically enter and browse.
Phase 3 — £25,000: Catalogue the collection
[Final phase]
- Beginning the first phase of cataloguing and digitising the collection, so titles can start to be searched, discovered and sold — £15,000
- Improving storage and working conditions to protect the collection — £7,000
- Contingency — £3,000
What success looks like: the collection becomes findable and accessible, with cataloguing continuing as the space comes fully online.
Right now, we're focused on Phase 1 — £25,000. Every donation goes toward securing the building first. As each phase is funded, we'll post photos and updates showing exactly what your money built, then open the next phase.
Why this matters
For over half a century, I have built something rare — over a million Black books, under one roof. Baldwin sits beside Zephaniah. Angelou beside Blackman. Morrison beside Evaristo. Many of these titles took me years to source, and some would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to replace.
Without help now, books may be damaged, dispersed, or simply remain locked away and inaccessible for years to come. Fifty years of searching, sourcing and safeguarding Black literature — at risk of never reaching the people it was collected for.
I've given everything I have to make sure that doesn't happen. Now I'm asking you — please, help me finish what I started.
Why now
Last month, this building was broken into again. It's not the first time, and if nothing changes, it won't be the last. Every break-in risks losing books that took decades to source — some of them can never be replaced, no matter how much money we raise afterward.
This isn't a problem that gets easier with time. It gets worse.
And I won't pretend age isn't part of this. I'm 76. I've had two major operations. I don't know how many more years I have to see this collection back in the hands of the people it was always meant for. Every month we delay is a month this knowledge stays locked away — and every year that passes is a year I'm not getting back.
This can't wait for a better time. There isn't one. The time is now.
Every donation brings us one step closer to reopening the doors.
If you can't donate today, please share this campaign — the more people who see it, the sooner these books reach the community they were always meant to serve.
Help us reopen the doors. Help us put one million Black books back into the hands of the community.
Pepukayi, founder of the Maa Maat Centre
Want to help without donating?
If you'd like to volunteer, offer professional skills, introduce media contacts or explore a partnership, please get in touch with us through GoFundMe.