For Immediate Release

Universal Write Publications: We Will Tell Our Own Story

Knowledge Production Under Attack—This Isn’t Just Publishing

At Universal Write Publications (UWP), we go beyond producing books by safeguarding Black scholarship, amplifying Black voices, and ensuring that our intellectual legacy remains ours.

We are here to build, disrupt, and reclaim.

Black scholarship will not be erased. It will not be diluted, filtered, or controlled by institutions that have never prioritized our voices. We control our narrative. Our lived experiences, our epistemology, our books are written through our lens, to inform, represent and challenge. They force the world to acknowledge what we already know: Black thought leads. Black knowledge shapes. Black scholarship is power.

But this is bigger than UWP.

For generations, Black-owned presses have been the protectors of our intellectual traditions. When mainstream institutions refused to recognize our work, we built our own. And now, more than ever, we must fortify those institutions. Kwanzaa principle Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibilities).

To our authors: Beyond publishing academic scholarship, I am a Social Scientist, a Black woman, an immigrant, an author, and a researcher. I am here because someone saw me and made room. Call it DEI or Affirmative Action. I live in this co-opted body, voice, and space. I don’t just see you; I am you.

I honor our brilliance, our research, and our theories. Our words are shaping the future of academia, culture, and history. I stand with you.

To our readers, scholars, and institutions: You are the key to sustaining Black scholarship. Every book you purchase, every idea you teach, every citation you make—it all matters. When we invest in Black-owned presses, we are securing our legacy for generations to come. Kwanzaa principle Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics).

Black-owned presses are not in competition—we are in collaboration. We stand united in the books and publishing ecosystem. Kwanzaa principle Kujichagulia (Self-Determination).

UWP is here. We are leading the charge. But this fight is not ours alone. Every Black press, every Black scholar, every Black thinker who dares to challenge the status quo is part of this movement. We are not asking for a seat at the table—we are building the table. Kwanzaa principle Nia (Purpose).

~We will tell our own story.
~We will control our own narrative.
~And we will not be erased.

This is our time to build. Let us do it together.

Dr. Ayo Sekai, Ph.D.
Founder & Publisher
Universal Write Publications (2004)