By Keith L. Underwood for The LA Sentinel
Originally published Oct. 28, 2026
Long before Malik Muhammad became one of LA’s most recognizable advocates for Black literature, he was chasing a different kind of greatness — on the Olympic track.
Today, the founder of Malik Books has traded racing spikes for bookshelves, but the determination that propelled him onto the world stage continues to fuel his mission of empowering communities through reading.
“1984, one of my most cherished moments,” Muhammad recalled of competing in the LA Olympic Games, representing Puerto Rico, his father’s homeland.
Born Luis “Pancho” Morales, the Washington, D.C.-area native attended the University of Southern California and represented Puerto Rico at the 1984 Summer Olympics, reaching the semifinals in both the 100 and 200-meter races.
Muhammad credits goal-setting, discipline and perseverance with transforming his athletic ambitions into reality.
“It started with a goal,” he explained. “That’s how I became an Olympian. That’s how I opened up Malik Books. By belief.”
Founded in 1990 near Crenshaw and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards, Malik Books grew from a modest storefront into a respected Black-owned literary institution.
After closing its Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza location in 2009, the bookstore returned to the mall in 2018, renewing its commitment to serving the community.
But Muhammad considers his work something greater than retail.
“I’m a book activist, first and foremost. I am a hype man of books, but I’m a book activist,” he declared.
That philosophy has helped Malik Books navigate economic uncertainty, the pandemic and changing shopping habits while continuing to champion African American authors and stories.
“The community. The people. That’s how we survive,” Muhammad said. “We’re nothing without the people.”
His commitment is especially visible at the annual Taste of Soul Family Festival, an event that helped inspire the bookstore’s 2018 reopening.
For this year’s celebration, Muhammad planned to bring Malik’s Bookmobile, stocked with approximately 1,000 books for children and adults, to Crenshaw and King — the very intersection where his entrepreneurial journey began.
“That’s the crazy part. I started Malik Books on Crenshaw and King at a hole in the wall, right by the bus stop,” Muhammad recalled.
The bookmobile, launched in 2022, extends the bookstore’s educational mission beyond its physical locations, bringing literature directly into communities.
Muhammad also credits his wife and business partner, Aprilia Muhammad, co-owner of Malik Books, with helping transform the bookstore into a destination for major literary events.
“Aprilia Muhammad, that’s the secret weapon to Malik Books,” he said, acknowledging her behind-the-scenes leadership.
Together, their team has welcomed prominent figures including Spike Lee, Taraji P. Henson and Cedric the Entertainer, connecting celebrated voices with neighborhood readers.
Even as redevelopment moves forward at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, where demolition began in March 2026, Muhammad remains optimistic about the community’s future and the bookstore’s enduring role within it.
“Five years from now, it’s going to be a beautiful epicenter,” Muhammad predicted. “So I’m glad to be part of it. I am still there.”
For the former sprinter, success is no longer measured in seconds or records, but in lives touched through literature.
“Records are meant to be broken. Just like change is meant to occur,” Muhammad reflected.
And through Malik Books, he remains determined to help create that change.
“Because it’s about us. Our stories and our voices matter.”