Some things happen to disrupt the course of our lives and then there are blessings that may come our way.
Tia Hamilton is a native of New York who has lived in Baltimore from a young age and had gotten caught up in hustling and street life. To look at her now, you might not believe she was in charge of an interstate drug ring and a former gang member. She was also charged with kidnapping and attempted murder.
But thank God for second chances. Hamilton was able to turn her life around and now uses her life as a springboard to help others. She is passionate about helping incarcerated men and women who are wrongfully convicted to get free, helping with the serious literacy problem that exists among black Americans, and she loves to pour into kids and advocates for others to do the same.
Meet Tia Hamilton, a businesswoman and a voice for the voiceless. This is her story.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I am your girl, Tia “Mz. Konnoisseur” Hamilton. I am the owner and founder of many things… Myself. I found and own myself. I think that’s important for people to know who they are and what they’re doing, and what their purpose is. So, I found that, and I own that.
But when it comes to business, I’m the founder and CEO of State vs. Us Magazine, Urban Reads Bookstore, WMSKonlineradio.com, and RTO (Renewal Transitional Organization). That’s my transitional housing.
I’m originally from Brownsville, New York. Although I’ve been out here (Baltimore) since I was a child, I’m definitely New York, all day. Nothing has ever left my roots inside of me and how I get down. So, I attribute that in a lot of ways to how I move because “us” New Yorkers don’t play. We get to it and we’re not sitting around waiting for somebody else to give it to us either. We pay to play. We pay our way, and we motivate all the way through the process. I’m just me!
How did you go from being an incarcerated woman to being a bookstore owner? And how did you come up with the idea for the bookstore?
It’s easy! I do what I want to do. My magazine State vs. Us Magazine is the reason for my bookstore. I came out with that because no one wanted me in their space, Downtown Locker Room, City Guards. Like, I name these people on purpose because it’s important we understand that we gotta stop playing with each other and we gotta support each other, and instead of giving me an opportunity or at least a callback, I never got any of that. So, it’s important that I let you know, I gotta call you out on your bull because had you given me that opportunity, it could have been a situation where you could’ve been eating with me and not just Barnes & Noble.
I was intentional about where I wanted this magazine to be, and in those spaces, they didn’t give me the opportunity, so I opened up my own store because of that. I was already under a distro deal, so I was able to get in Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Canada, and all of that. Listen, I get it, but I wanted my hood though. I wanted to be with my urban people. And being at Barnes & Noble and all of that didn’t do that. So, I opened up a store and put my own book on the shelf. That’s when Urban Reads was birthed.
Tell us about your award-winning bookstore, Urban Reads Bookstore?
It’s litty! Urban Reads is the hub for black authors. The hub for the community. The hub for literacy. It’s the hub for us. People ask all the time; how can I get my book placed in there… be black. But now I’m doing something further. Now, just because you’re black I gotta force you into the business side. First, I was like if you have a book, send me your book. But now I’m looking at the quality of these books. Now, I’m looking at how these books are formulated and formatted, non-edited, and not selling, and no marketing and none of that behind it. Now, I gotta force you to do business the right way.
So, I started in January this year, and let me tell you this is why I do this because black people, we wanna do so many things but we don’t want to sit down and learn what the hell we doing. See, I make this look easy. Ain’t nothing about what I do easy. People think, open up this store and it’s all good… no. So, now, I’m forcing authors to have a EPK (electronic press kit) and a bio for their book. To learn how the profit margins work. To learn that your book should have a spine with your words on it so people can know what it is. There’s different levels to this. And before January, it was easy to get somebody, a local author’s book in here. Now, I’m finding it hard. I ain’t did a contract all year.
And guess what, I’m okay with it because if you don’t have it together, you can’t be a part of what I’m doing.
So, I’m holding authors accountable in what they’re doing. But we gotta be thinkers. We gotta be researchers. We gotta do better. We gotta be more intentional in what we choose to do, and we gotta learn that accordingly without attitude.
And then, we got the literacy camp where we are going to teach these babies how to read and cut the check. We’re going to be having a reading and financial literacy program starting this summer. We’re going to start with late elementary and early middle school ages because America is on a seventh and ninth-grade reading level but Black America is on a third and fourth level. Who am I to have a bookstore and not attack that? Ain’t no other bookstore attacking that. This is an issue. Sixty percent of people who go to prison are illiterate; that’s not good.
Photo Credit: state Vs us
You have a magazine called State vs. Us Magazine. Tell us about your magazine and its mission.
My ex had hit me up; the one who sent me to jail. Ten years went by, he hit me, wrote me to give me the apology I’d been waiting for. So, I wrote him back and told him call me. I shouldn’t have done that but we see where it got me with this magazine. When he hit me, he wanted something from me, he was like, “I want to do a magazine.” I told him if I’m going do a magazine it’s gotta be on my terms. “We gonna talk about what’s really going on, the wrongful convictions, and the problems in the system.” He ain’t want to do that so I disconnected him. He worked on the first magazine with me, after that, I deaded him. I financed everything and took care of the paperwork. He didn’t want to do the plan, he just wanted to be ghetto, and that’s not what’s needed today.
Today, what I’m doing is what’s needed, and it’s been proven because I’m responsible for four men being home from prison due to my magazine; three releases are due to the interviews and one is due to my connections for clemency. I’m archived in the Schomburg for Black Culture and Research in Harlem, New York. They are actively researching on my magazine right now. So, everyone I release, they get. I have spoken at Columbia University, Yale, UCLA, Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn. It’s relentless. I’m about to do my second year in a row at the National Association for Public Defenders Conference.
Because we gonna stop playing with black and brown people and as long as I’m here with my voice, my legacy Is gonna live after this. And it’s gonna speak to the testament of what we gotta do in this prison reform. So, that’s what my magazine does, it’s changing lives. I’m on four prison catalogs. I’m in Canada and the UK.
I’ll be moving my magazine out of Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million and all of these spaces because I have my own store. And to stay independent and keep the overhead down, I chose to remove that and go independent on the distro side and do my own distribution, and it’s been working. I’m selling magazines and I’m changing lives. It’s in almost every federal and state prison all over this country.
I’m the voice of the voiceless and through my magazine, they get a voice. The only thing I edit is the grammar, they keep their story and their voice alive because they tell it how they want to tell it. If we allow the system to do that, it’s going to get changed. And these men and women are proving their innocence through the magazine. This is why when people read it and write them, next thing you know, they’re home, or they use it in their court case.
Like right now, the recent issue that just came out, we’re working on Anthony Green. He’s a wrongfully convicted college student. The person who admitted to the crime, the judge denied his testimony. And one of the GTTF (Gun Trace Taskforce) from the corruption cops for Baltimore City was on the case. For that alone, this man should be released. It’s not a game, it’s a lot of work to be done, and that’s what State vs. Us Magazine is doing.
You’re very involved with doing community work and activism. Describe what you do.
I take care of everybody. I’m your favorite book dealer. Listen, I ran these streets right and I tore these streets up for a long time. And I can’t possibly imagine being here on Greenmount, I’m here intentionally though, but I can’t imagine being here with literacy in the palm of my hands, and a voice, and a brain with logic and understanding of all walks of life that I’m not gonna attack this. It makes no sense for me to be sitting here every day and just worry about myself. Philanthropy don’t work like that. Being in these streets, I’m on the front line. If somebody calls me and it’s time to go, it’s time to go.
I go into these prisons and I talk to these dudes and I show them my magazine; they be mesmerized. So, I go in there and I tell them, “Listen to me. This is the same grind, a different product. If you ever ran a block, you’re a supervisor but if you run the whole organization, you a CEO. It may take longer but you ain’t over your shoulders, and you’ll be legal, and your empire/wealth is stronger. And wealth ain’t always about that green, the dead presidents. Wealth is about knowledge. Wealth is about that brain. Wealth is about logic. Wealth is about common sense. Wealth is about how you help and serve your community.”
My wealth… I’m wealthy. Period! Your child is my child. So, when I go in these prisons, they get it right. Them dudes and them women be like, “bring her back.”
Give some words of encouragement to anyone who may be struggling with turning their life around?
Find yourself, man. If you don’t want to research what you doing, research yourself. Find that first. If you gotta get therapy, which everyone needs, go get that. In our communities, we scared of that therapy word. Call it something else if that’s what makes you feel better but you gotta go get that because you gotta start loving on yourself. It’s no way you can love on anything for you, for your kids, for your family, your friends, or for anything or the world. You can’t have empathy for anybody unless you have empathy for yourself, within yourself, and loving on yourself. And researching yourself and realizing who you are. The moment you realize who you are, it’s game! We gotta stop worrying about what people think. Y’all gotta check on your strong friends too. And if you gotta take a day, take a day! And find yourself a mentor too. My circle is filled with millionaires and billionaires. You are who you’re with.
What have you learned about yourself through your struggles that have helped you in life?
I’m dope as hell in real life, lol. Yeah, ain’t nobody doper than me. I never lose, I either win or I learn. –Nelson Mandela And that’s what makes me dope.
What’s next for you?
Continue to be lit. I got a temp agency that’s about to open up. I’m hiring felons; I’m getting them employed. I got my transitional housing coming. I have a lot of things in the pipeline. Just know the year 2022 is for alignment. It’s a lesson in every day that I post. Y’all just keep watching!
Where can people follow you?
Urban Reads Bookstore: Instagram │Facebook │Twitter │Website
State vs Us Magazine: Instagram │Facebook │Twitter │Website │Email
She accepts books for donations (gently used or new) & monetary donations
CashApp: Urban Reads Bookstore (write book donation in comments)
Featured Image Credit: @swaggedoutshotsphotography
Writer, Debbie Stokes is a contributing writer. You can follow me @ iamdebbiestokes
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