While folks were either protesting the inauguration or attending it, Solange Knowles was up to something else in the nation's capital.
The singer spent her evening at Sankofa Video Books & Cafe, a black-owned bookstore near Howard University in Washington, D.C., to buy books for lucky fans who managed to catch her unexpected announcement on Instagram.
SEE ALSO:Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Solange and more attend the Obamas' farewell partyView this post on Instagram
"I'm so happy to see all of you guys just remember through the midst of it all to look upward and forward," she told the crowded bookstore.
"We have the power in this room and in this space and amongst each other. Seeing all of you guys is confirmation for me – I needed to see that and I needed to know that the work we are all doing counts ... It really means a lot to me," she said in a heartfelt speech from behind piles of books.
Tweet may have been deleted
Sankofa specializes in books for and by the African diaspora, and some of the titles bought by Solange include Americanahby Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Autobiography of Malcom X, and more.
“For Solange to feel like Sanfoka is a touchstone for when times get challenging is rewarding for us," owner Shirikiana Gerima told Washingtonian, who reported that 250 fans left with books. "We hope to be the kind of place for anybody who needs to remember that what we’re facing is not new and that there are people who have stood up to harder things."
"They’ve left messages and symbols and signs about how to go about this kind of thing," Gerima explained. "They made it, and we can make it.”
TopicsBooks
(责任编辑：知識)
The five guys who climbed Australia's highest mountain, in swimwearBarack Obama was just spotted in New York City and people treated him like a rockstarA 'ghost' showed up in this girl's selfie and we're thoroughly spookedAre we really not there yet on women in tech sales?Olympic security asks female Iranian fan to drop protest signNate Parker is finally thinking about the woman who accused him of rape
Nate Parker is getting a crash course in male privilege after, in his own words, not thinking about
...[详细]Warren Buffett basically just subtweeted President Donald Trump, shade, shade, shade
Warren Buffett, one of the greatest investors in the history of recorded math, has a message for Pre
...[详细]Witches plan to cast a spell on Trump, but they'll have some spiritual opposition
Witches of the world are uniting against the President of the United States, and it might just spark
...[详细]Celebrate the northern lights in the UK with these beautiful images
The mesmerising northern lights made an appearance Wednesday evening in the northern parts of Scotla
...[详细]You will love/hate Cards Against Humanity's new fortune cookies
If you've ever ordered Cards Against Humanity from the delightfully corrupt board game's website, yo
...[详细]'Supergirl' is planning the 'Lois and Clark' reunion of our dreams
Last week's。 Supergirl 。revealed that Jeremiah Danvers (Dean Cain) is no longer the hero he once was
...[详细]Trump is low key taking credit for the Oscars flub because of course he is
Because nothing surprises us anymore, it's with a shrug and an "of course" that we learned President
...[详细]Little thief experiences pure terror when almost caught sneaking a drink
If you didn't try to sneak stuff without your parents knowing, did you even have a childhood?SEE ALS
...[详细]Sound the alarms: Simone Biles finally met Zac Efron
Is there anything Simone Biles can't do?The unstoppable gymnast just won her fifth medal of the Rio
...[详细]The sweet first picture of Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins is practically perfect in every way
Mary Poppins is back in the most delightful way. The rebooted sequel starring Emily Blunt won't rele
...[详细]17 questions you can answer if you're a good communicator
Are we really not there yet on women in tech sales?