‘Librotraficante’ Tony Diaz Launches a First of Its Kind Latino Bookstore in Downtown Houston
*Why you should read this: Because in an era when Chicano books are banned and Latinos are used as a political wedge a Chicano bookstore in downtown Houston becomes an act of resistance. VL
By Christina Noriega, Remezcla (4 minute read) 
Read more stories about Tony Diaz, el Librotraficante, in NewsTaco. >>
The Latino bookstore Nuestra Palabra Art & Books is the first of its kind in Houston, which boasts one of the largest Latino populations in the country. Nuestra Palabra Arts & Books brings to the city a hand-picked selection of Latino authors, both nationally-recognized and locals that includes names likes Sandra Cisneros and Houston writer Maria Elenes Cortes. For the Second Ward, the historical Mexican-American neighborhood where Nuestra Palabra is putting down roots, it’s a welcome source of novels, poetry, history books, and even coloring books that reflect the surrounding community’s identity and history. Although Barnes & Nobles and second-hand bookstores are prevalent in Houston’s west side of town, books have become a harder commodity to find in Houston’s underserved downtown area.
“We can’t count on other institutions to deliver our culture.We’ve got to do it ourselves.”
“People have said that downtown Houston was a book desert,” Diaz told Houston Public Media. “We’ve just created an oasis.”
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[Photo courtesy of Remezcla]
