Wall Street Juniors Unveils Free Community Library in Old North Durham
DURHAM – Wall Street Juniors, a non-profit geared toward increasing financial literacy in Durham youth, unveiled a free community library in Old North Durham Saturday, Aug. 1.
WSJ Reader’s Bank stands on the grounds of the organization’s headquarters at 207 W. Geer Street. According to WSJ founder MaKayla Booker, the library is a resource for the entire community regardless of age, and it encompasses about 100 books with reading levels ranging from elementary to adult.
“We definitely want to be able to reinforce our community while giving them that free resource to be able to educate themselves,” Booker said.
The library operates on an honor system. Community members are encouraged to return checked out books within two-to-three weeks. If a library patron can’t bring a book back for any reason, it’s not a big deal, according to Booker.
However, they’re encouraged to continue the cycle of community engagement through literacy by passing on the book to someone else.
After graduating from UNC-Greensboro this spring, WSJ community coordinator Mary Jane McCain returned to her hometown and spearheaded the birdhouse library project as her first task with the non-profit.
“(Creating the library) was important because – growing up, and being on my own at such an early age – I wish I had this type of information, this type of resource,” McCain said.
“For me, doing Wall Street Juniors is, ‘Who did I need when I was growing up to help me be more on the lines of educating myself, financial literacy and learning how to obtain wealth?’.”
The community library pays homage to the past while promoting generational wealth.
A mural painted by local artists Au’Dasia Newsome, Jess Goldstein and Telvin Wallace of fixtures and trailblazers in Durham’s Black community wraps the Reader’s Bank.
“It’s important with today’s climate that we have a visual representation of Black liberation in the Durham community,” McCain said.
The majority of the library’s books relate to financial literacy. According to McCain, WSJ is open to any book donation, and the Reader’s Bank needs more elementary-aged books.
To donate, ship books to WSJ’s headquarters through their Amazon wishlist, or visit at 207 W. Geer Street, Durham, N.C. 27701, Monday-Friday from 1-6 p.m.
“(The WSJ Reader’s Bank) is a resource for our community,” Booker said.
“We would love for them to take advantage of it. But not only this resource, but to find more resources and opportunities to engage with Wall Street Juniors because we are here, we’re active and we love to engage with the community that we proudly serve.”
(Feature image submitted by MaKayla Booker. Photo © TNT Portraits 2020.)