Publix is facing mounting backlash and boycott calls after withdrawing as the exclusive sponsor for Black Book Bash in Jacksonville just days before the event.

The three-day festival, set for Oct. 3–5 at the Hyatt Regency, is a celebration of Black literature and culture where readers can meet authors, shop from Black-owned businesses, and visit vendors and bookstores. Publix had been positioned as the title sponsor, but organizers say the company abruptly pulled out, citing the “political climate.”

Organizers stressed the festival would go on regardless.

“We didn’t flinch. We doubled down. When folks pull out, the community pulls up — and y’all have shown out,” organizers announced in a statement on Instagram. “Black Book Bash was built by us, for us. The support, the shares, the donat

See Full Page