Meet Vanessa Johnson | CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vanessa Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vanessa, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Our business actually grew out of a community organization that was designed to heal and bring resources to Black humans who are incarcerated in Texas prisons. As the CEO and co-founder of de facto books, I am an educator with 20 years of experience working with children and adults who have been disenfranchised by the system. Working and residing in the school-to-prison pipeline meant that many of the teens I grew up with went to prison, as well as some of my own family. Recognizing that the needs of people who experience trauma, and the lack of resources in the community for when folks return home need major improvement was the notion that helped us launch our first book club in a Texas prison in 2018. Since then we have published our first poetry collection, Surviving Lockdown which contains artists’ reflections of the pandemic of 2020. This book is the catalyst to help sustain a mission to create resources in order to change the narrative about how we deal with mass incarceration in our communities, and the resources we pour into folks coming home.

What should our readers know about your business?
We started out as a nonprofit community organization and morphed into a business. Our start as a community organization and not just for profit is what sets us apart from other publishing companies. We serve a large group of incarcerated authors as a conduit to the outside world, so our services are not what one would consider standard. We consider our authors to be part of a team, and our job is to provide them with resources while they are incarcerated in order for them to fulfill their desire of perfecting their writing craft. Texas prisons do not have internet access, so we must do an inordinate amount of things that may seem different than a normal business. We have to do all of their research in printable form and ship it to the penitentiary so they can site sources and delve into subjects at a deeper level. Another part of what makes us unique is the relationships we build with our team, which even includes family members of our authors in prison. We stay in touch with everyone and help families navigate the prison system as well.

Since our authors reside in cages we have also taken it upon ourselves at de facto books to help them cultivate education and resources that will help them prepare for a healthy transition upon their release. This is a part of our business that although is not about publishing books, it’s still about helping folks tell their stories, and we are most excited about it. Creating community for our authors through partnering with local non-profits helps address the many emotional, social, and technology needs of people who have been in prison. Our authors who have returned home help us engage in community education events that not only help promote our book but also teach others about the effects of mass incarceration on the world.

Getting here was not easy, and the road ahead is paved with much more work to do. Being a business that also supports prison abolition is different for folks to wrap their heads around. Continuing with hosting community events that help us create a narrative about our incarcerated loved ones is key to providing resources for those coming home. We are faced with challenges daily and there are plenty of people who want to exploit the population we serve, so there will not be an easy solution to get where we are growing…not going. The way in which we overcome challenges is to stay in the community and be transparent about what our needs are, even when it’s hard. Finding allies that understand how serving disenfranchised humans can be emotionally stressful and draining to lean on for support on difficult days is paramount to success. de facto books philosophy is that no mistake is too big to learn from, and we apply that to the authors we serve, as well as the way we do business. We make mistakes all the time, and will surely make more. Being honest about where you are, what you need to grow in your business, and surrounding yourself with other people who can support that goal is imperative to success. That’s why we host community book clubs, as well as attend them. Staying connected with the needs in your community makes you better able to serve them with what your business offers, as well as learn from those around you.

Publishing the stories you need to hear is a great vehicle. Our overreaching goal at de facto books is to build a wellness space that includes all that we have learned and cultivated through our community partnerships for our authors returning home, so that they may be able to transition back into society on their terms, with the skills they need, in a loving, non-judgemental space to do it in.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is where we are supposed to say go out, lol don’t stay home right? Well, we like being at home and the homes of our allies most often, and that is part of what makes us unique. However, we are social creatures at de facto books, and we do host community events, so here are our favorite places in Tha D:

Maroche’s Bakery 1227 W. Davis Bld Oak Cliff
Manuel “The Baker” hosts social activists meetings of all kids inside, and the conchas and tres leches are the best in town, no cap.

Como’s Lounge 1212 Skillman St. Lakewood
Best Sazerac in town, super cool bartenders, and kinda like the ’70s meets the 80’s from the striped couches, to the jukebox filled with the likes of Al Green to Joy Division. The Thai food is the bomb too.
Sankofa Garden 3839 W Kiest Blvd, Oak Cliff. One of the O.C Veggie projects gardens and where de facto books started to learn about gardening.

Hero’s Lounge 3094 N Stemmons Fwy, Dallas
This is the home of the Dallas Poetry Slam Team. They perform here Friday and Saturday nights. Check out de facto’s favorite performing poet, C.R.U.S.H. @crush_yourpoet

Kalachandji’s5430 Gurley Ave, Dallas
The best vegetarian buffet inside a Hari Krishna temple. True Dallisites know this spot.

Frida’s Tacolandia 1150 W Kiest Blvd, Oak Cliff
Best Lengua tacos in Dallas. Period.

Pan African Connection Book Store 4466 S Marsalis Ave, Glendale Shopping Center. de facto’s favorite book store and supply store. This is where we buy our books that get shipped into the penitentiary for our book clubs. They have the largest selection of Black authors in town and do all types of classes and healing events that support the community.

Welcome Stranger Tattoo 1918 Skillman St.
This tattoo spot is super chill. The people are great, and so is the art going on. Check out de facto’s favorite artist Nacho Contreras @i_am_nacho

The Libertine 2101 Greenville Ave.
Great drinks, atmosphere, patio, and OMG the tuna steak burger!

Texas Crunchies Candy 509 N. Winnetka Ave, Oak Cliff.
Handmade and vintage candy by one of our favorite community leaders who hosts Hecho Con Amor Market.

The Dojo 2414 Converse St, Dallas.
This studio/event space hosts a variety of events and always supports local creatives.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Our shout-out is three-fold at de facto books.

First, we recognize that as book publishers who found our way through connecting a group of people over literature, that we must pay homage to the book that started this movement for us; bell hooks, all about love (make sure you do not capitalize it either). Hooks’ definition of love is what sustains the way we engage with one another at de facto books, how we engage in the community, and how we do business.

“Love is the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth.”

Second: We could not do the work we do without our authors and members residing inside Texas prisons. These are our Brothers, friends, teachers, spiritual advisors, and colleagues, and without their sharing of their craft and of all they have endured while being locked up, we could not serve them the way we do. They are the reason and foundation of this movement.
Third: de fact books believes in community. Without creating sustainable resources together in which all folks can thrive, then we are not fulfilling our spiritual purpose on this planet. The organization that deserves this shout-out is the O.C. Veggie Project, a 501(c)(3) in the southern sector of Dallas where our team volunteers in the place of our members who are incarcerated. Through teaching about sustainable gardening, and distributing produce to those most in need they have taught us that community over competition serves everyone best.

Website: defactobooks.com

Instagram: @defacto_books

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/De-facto-books-LLC-106123311702523

Other: Patreon patreon.com/defacto_books