Hakim's Bookstore and Gift Shop
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Founded in the 1950s by Dawud Hakim, it was the first Black-owned book-store in Phila. special-izing in Black history and titles by Black authors. A civil rights and Black activism gathering space in the 1960s, it was surveilled by the FBI along with other Black bookstores.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Founded in the 1950s by Dawud Hakim, this Philadelphia shop was the city's first Black-owned bookstore devoted to Black history and authors—a place where readers could find their own story on the shelves. Through the 1960s it became a gathering point for civil rights organizing and Black activism. That prominence also drew the eye of the FBI, which surveilled Hakim's along with other Black bookstores of the era.
Why it matters
Hakim's shows how a neighborhood bookstore could serve as an intellectual and organizing hub of the Black freedom struggle—and how such spaces became targets of government surveillance.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Bridgette Mayer3.9 mi away · 709 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- African American Museum in Philadelphia3.9 mi away · 701 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Congress Hall4.0 mi away · Philadelphia, PA
- Liberty Bell Center4.0 mi away · 526 Market Street, Philadelphia
- Independence Visitor Center4.0 mi away · 599 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Independence Hall4.0 mi away · 520 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Attractions
- American Bandstand0.7 mi away
- Philadelphia Zoo1.9 mi away
- Pennsylvania Railroad, Connecting Railway Bridge2.1 mi away
- Rocky Steps2.5 mi away
- Discovery Center at East Park Reservoir2.5 mi away
- The Universal Sphere3.0 mi away
Food & drink
- Burger King3.8 mi away
- Philly Pretzel Factory3.8 mi away
- Munchie’s Cafe3.8 mi away · 728 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Fat Salmon3.9 mi away · 719 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- El Azteca3.9 mi away
- Talula's Daily3.9 mi away · 208 West Washington Square, Philadelphia, PA
Places to stay
- Cambria Hotel Philadelphia Downtown - Center City3.3 mi away · 219 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA
- DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Philadelphia Center City3.3 mi away · 237 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Residence Inn Philadelphia Center City3.4 mi away · 1 East Penn Square, Philadelphia, PA
- Holiday Inn Express3.4 mi away · 1305-11 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- The Notary Hotel3.4 mi away · 21 North Juniper Street, Philadelphia
- Fairfield Inn & Suites3.4 mi away · 261 South 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA
Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Dawud Hakim
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Paul Robeson (1898-1976)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 1991
Paul Robeson was a rare figure of towering talent — a football star at Rutgers, a Columbia-trained lawyer, and then a world-renowned concert singer and actor celebrated for his interpretations of African American spirituals. His outspoken activism on race and labor drew fierce backlash during the Cold War, and his career and travel were curtailed for years. He spent his final years in quiet retirement at this Philadelphia home.
Crystal Bird Fauset
Philadelphia, PA · est. 1991
Crystal Bird Fauset lived here when, in 1938, she won a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and became the first Black woman elected to any state legislature in the United States. A gifted organizer and speaker, she later advised President Franklin D. Roosevelt on race relations within the wartime Office of Civilian Defense. Her career opened doors in electoral politics that had long been barred to Black women.
Muhammad's Temple of Islam #12
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2016
This building was Pennsylvania's first Nation of Islam house of worship and the heart of Philadelphia's African American Muslim community through the 1950s and 60s. Under the leadership of Elijah Muhammad, it drew notable teachers and administrators—including Malcolm X and Wallace D. Muhammad—during a pivotal period in Black religious and political life. The temple served as a gathering place for faith, education, and community organizing.
The MOVE Bombing
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2017
On May 13, 1985, a long-simmering standoff between Philadelphia police and the Black liberation group MOVE erupted into catastrophe on Osage Avenue. Police dropped a bomb from a state helicopter onto the group's rowhouse, and the fire that followed was allowed to burn — killing eleven MOVE members, five of them children, and destroying 61 homes in the surrounding Black neighborhood. It remains one of the only times an American city bombed its own residents.