Community catalyzing through books & coffee

Story and photos by Khatia Mikadze

Situated on a busy street in the middle of Crown Heights, Cafe Con Libros looks like an artsy coffee shop from outside. But inside, it is every woman’s and book lover’s heaven. It is a feminist bookstore where you can sip your coffee and immerse yourself in feminist literature all at once. The selection may surprise you, ranging from famous women authors such as Zadie Smith to children’s books to undiscovered authors from all around the world. Yes, it is indeed an independent bookstore, owned by an immigrant woman of color, a woman from down the block, a woman who is an educator. Her name is Kalima DeSuze. This is how she usually describes herself:

“Afro-latinx. Womyn. Daughter of immigrants. Wife. Niece. Aunt. Friend. Sister. Cousin. Reader. Writer. Dreamer. Believer. Lover. Feminist. Social worker. Activist. Veteran. Professor. Human.”

Indeed, Kalima is all of these things and she wears many hats. Apart from being an entrepreneur, she is an adjunct professor at at the Silberman and Columbia Schools of Social Work, teaching and educating students on community organizing and development. But most important, she is a second-generation immigrant, born to immigrant parents who arrived from Panama in 1969 with nothing but their clothes.

Toting two dresses and a suitcase full of books, Kalima’s mom settled in New York with her sister and made Crown Heights her home. This is where Kalima was born and raised. She grew up surrounded by her family members, and Brooklyn taught her to appreciate the power of community ties. In her early twenties, Kalima served as a sergeant in the United States Army and was stationed in South Korea. As a veteran who witnessed the public’s stress and fear in the aftermath of 9/11, she decided to become a social worker and community activist.

As she grew up in Crown Heights, a predominantly African American community, Kalima did not feel an immediate sense of belonging and connection with the people in her neighborhood; as an immigrant, she felt very different from all African Americans around her. She had the same skin color as her neighbors, but she also had a very strong sense of Panamanian identity and culture, distinct from all her other ethnic identities.

However, as she gained knowledge about ethnicity and feminism, she learned about intersectionality. She realized that she could have multiple identities all at once. She could be a woman, a black woman, Panamanian, American, and an immigrant, and it was okay. She did not have to fit into just one box.

And intersectionality is what she is trying to embrace with Cafe Con Libros. Her business is non-traditional in that it does not fit into one particular model. It is both a bookstore and a coffee shop. This idea came to her during a trip to Ethiopia, where she discovered a local cafe filled with parents, children, and community members having fun, laughing, and chatting. This was a turning point for her, as she realized that the cafe was a symbol of real community, where one feels like a true member of a bigger family. She realized she had a desire to create a similar space in her own community, where she could marry two ideas: books and coffee. But it was not easy, as Kalima explains:

“Before I started this business, I decided to do a community assessment, but I was discouraged by most of the people left and right. I was told that feminism would scare people off, owning a business would be difficult, black folks don’t read, and my customers would only be women. But I knew that women make [up the] majority of consumers in America, and if women stop shopping, our economy will crumble. Also, all those arguments made against my idea were the reasons why we needed a feminist bookstore in the community. I wanted to empower women, and especially women of color from the community. Also, I think that women need multiple sources of income and I wanted to be one of them.”

Women are often encouraged to stick with just one profession, but Kalima strongly believes that women can have a career, and at the same time pursue another source of income from entrepreneurial endeavors. And she wanted to show that women are capable of having a life and a family while holding down a job and running a business. As a professor, business owner, and soon-to-be mom, Kalima is a perfect example of that. She teamed up with her husband (the Cafe’s current manager) and put her big bright idea into action. She explains:  

“Along the way, I faced many obstacles: I wanted to find women contractors, but there were none. I was forced to deal with men contractors from the community, but ran into issues with them. They tried to trick me because they thought I am a woman and I would not understand the intricacies of business. These issues resulted in me restarting all over again for three times, but despite these challenges, I am extremely humbled by the result. I knew in my heart that the space full of books where strangers could squeeze in, talk, and have coffee would nurture meaningful discussions! This is my dream come true!”

Kalima is now the center of attention in the community, the press, and among book lovers. Local community-based organizations are interested in partnering with her. She has launched a feminist book club and hosts regular events promoting women authors, artists, and community members.

Along with delicious, fair trade coffees and teas directly from Kenya, Kalima brings books to the store from all around the world to grow her selection. The shelves are full of sticky notes with book recommendations from the Cafe customers. Kalima wants to represent all women from all around the world because their stories matter. She is also actively trying to nurture more immigrant women’s stories, and soon will be bringing in “Bright Lines”, a novel about young women “coming of age in Brooklyn and Bangladesh” written by Brooklyn resident and Bangladeshi-American author Tanwi Nandini Islam.

“It is not going to be all in pretty bows and we are not going to save the world, but at least we can keep this conversation going,” said Kalima. “I am very open about my mission and many people still don’t believe me. But if we can harvest conversations in this community first, it can have a ripple effect on [the] entire city, state, and the country.”