Linda Bryant oral history interview, September 29, 2005

Item — othertype: Oral History

Identifier: W071_BryantL_20050929

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Interviewed by Janet Paulk. Linda Bryant begins her interview by discussing her childhood. She was born in Paducah, Kentucky, but her father was in the Army, and as a result, they moved around a lot. She had a religious upbringing, and eventually attended Oklahoma Baptist College. She later transferred to the University of Florida, in part, to become involved with the Christian youth group, Young Life. She speaks about the influence that Young Life had upon her, and the many important friendships that she developed in that organization. She moved to Atlanta, Georgia to continue working with Young Life, and she talks about the work she did with students. She enrolled in graduate programs at both Emory and Georgia State Universities, and she discusses her reasons for doing so. At the same time, she and two other women opened a non-profit bookstore called Charis Books in the Little Five Points neighborhood. Bryant talks about the original focus of the store, which was to specialize in children’s, women’s, and spirituality books. She speaks about their non-profit status, which was supported by an education reform group called Exodus Incorporated. Not long after starting Charis, Bryant was asked to take in a three month old baby. Despite being single, in graduate school, and running a bookstore, Bryant accepted the baby, and she talks about some of the challenges she faced as an adoptive mother. After a few years, Charis shifted into more of a feminist/lesbian focused bookstore, though they continued to grow in the genres that they carried. Bryant discusses how falling in love with a woman caused a tension with her fellow church members and some of her Christian friends.

Dates

Creation: September 29, 2005

Creator

Bryant, Linda, 1948- (Interviewee, Person)

Restrictions on Access

Oral history available for research in the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room.

Biographical Note

Linda Bryant was born in 1948 in Paducah, Kentucky. Growing up as an "Army brat," Bryant moved around a lot during her childhood. She attended Oklahoma Baptist University before graduating from the University of Florida, where she was active in Young Life. While she was working as an English teacher at Walker High School, Bryant dreamed of owning a bookstore, and with the help of a few friends this became a reality. She teamed up with Barbara Borgman, and in 1974 they found a location in Little Five Points for their store, Charis Books and More - one of the first feminist bookstores in the country. While running and growing the store, Bryant took graduate classes at Candler School of Theology and Georgia State University, and eventually got her master’s degree from Candler, but dropped the program at Georgia State. She also adopted and raised a baby boy. Bryant served on the board for the Gay and Lesbian Youth Funding Initiative for the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta, and this influenced her to start Charis Circle, a non-profit organization committed to maintaining social justice. Bryant still works closely with both Charis Books and More and Charis Circle, and continues her work in social justice philanthropy.