A Group Of Black Men Started ‘The Marathon Book Club’ Inspired By Nipsey Hussle’s Love For Reading

Roommates, the loss of Nipsey Hussle hit many fans hard, and left many trying to find ways to honor his intelligence, resilience, and dedication to helping his community. Well, one group of black men from Los Angeles decided to create a safe space for black men to come together in the name of Nip!

‘The Marathon Book Club’ was started by a group of black men in LA, shortly after Nipsey was gunned down in front of his clothing store, the LA Times reports. A 31-year-old fan from Wisconsin created a meme listing all of the books Nipsey had mentioned in interviews and songs, which inspired the creation of the book club.

Rashad Drakeford, founder of the book club, says he started the meetings to give black men a space to be heard how they need to be, and be vulnerable enough to discuss manhood differently.

“I’m not being heard in the way that I want to,” he said. “It [manhood] used to be about how many women you could bag. It’s okay to talk about issues, be vulnerable and fail. That’s the true essence of manhood.”

The club reportedly has for chapters that meet monthly in Oakland, New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.

“Seeing brothers talking about the journey while they are in it makes you realize, ‘I’m not alone in this. I’m feeling the same thing.”

Nipsey Hussle was very open with the world about his passion for knowledge and reading. Lauren London spoke about it as well, saying she and Nip would sit in bed with headphones and listen to boos for hours.

“We read a lot of books together,” she told the LA times. “We inspired each other to be better versions fo ourselves. He was a truth seeker and a truth speaker.”

These books are now doing the same for the 74 members of ‘The Marathon Book Club’, who say the gatherings are not only reading sessions, but therapy sessions as well.