By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer
Georgia West created a special place in Oak Park where Black people could gather and connect, fostering the understanding that knowledge is power and personal growth is always possible.
West, founder and manager of Underground Books who was the spirit of the store, died of cancer on Dec. 23, she was 75.
Visitors and authors alike were made to feel at home at Underground, greeted by West’s signature smile and sent off with a wave and a peppermint with every purchase.
Georgia Rose Peat was born April 7, 1949 at Sacramento’s Mercy Hospital to George and Georgia Peat. She was their only child. She grew up in Oak Park, where she was a competitive athlete and inspiring singer.
She became a mom at 16 and a single mother soon thereafter. She was determined to finish school on time. Her first born, Kevin Johnson, became a professional basketball player and Sacramento’s first Black mayor. Another son, Ronnie West, was born 16 years after her first, graduated from UC Berkeley and is now a marketing executive.
West followed her father’s footsteps, graduating from Sacramento High School in 1967. She traveled to Vietnam as part of a U.S.O. tour, entertaining the troops as part of a singing group called Salt and Pepper.
In 1973, West graduated from Sacramento City College, where she studied nursing. She’d go on to work in intensive care, telemetry and emergency room settings for 27 years. At one point, she lived and worked in Phoenix while Kevin played in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns. West was a dedicated supporter of her son’s basketball career and was a member of the National Basketball Moms Association for 30 years, helping to raise funds for worthy causes and offering guidance to other mothers as they helped their sons navigate the challenges of sudden fame and wealth.
West retired from nursing in 2001. Back in Sacramento, West became an integral part of Johnson’s efforts to invest in and revitalize the Oak Park neighborhood they both grew up in.
Visitors to the store knew her as Mother Rose, a nickname that suited her as she ruled the roost and nurtured everyone like a community mother.
“When St. HOPE Development Company began the 40 Acres project, we knew we wanted a Black bookstore to anchor it,” Johnson said. “For Mother Rose, this was incredibly important since Oak Park didn’t have a library for the community. We knew that her warm and friendly demeanor was the perfect persona to lead what we wanted to be the neighborhood’s ‘literary hub.’”
The joy of reading was something West modeled for her two sons from childhood.
“If you ask my brother or me which book we most associate with her it would be [the Bible] because she read from it faithfully every night,” Johnson said.
He also recalls her reading them the P.D. Eastman classic, “Are You My Mother?”
Area children’s author and educator JaNay Brown-Wood feels “privileged” to have felt Mother Rose’s welcoming energy.
“Each time I stepped foot into the store, she greeted me with a hug and kind words that made me smile,” said Brown-Wood, author of such books as “Imani’s Moon,” “Brown Girls Do Ballet” and “Simone Biles: A Little Golden Book Biography.” “Then, I’d see my children’s books standing proudly on the shelves among a number of phenomenal authors she showcased in her store.”
Brown-Wood also shared her work with the community through events and storytimes at Underground Books.
“I feel so lucky that I got to know her and watch her impact our community. She will be missed tremendously, but her legacy will be felt for generations to come.”
Award-winning Black romance and women’s fiction author Sheryl Lister celebrated the release of several books at Underground, including her last in January for “No Reservations.”
“Her unwavering support of authors was unmatched, particularly when it came to us who are local,” Lister said of Mother Rose. “No matter when I stopped by, and I did often, just to say hello and receive one of her hugs, she made sure to tell everyone in the store that I was a local author and direct them to my books.”
Mother Rose would periodically check in with Lister to see how she was doing. If the prolific writer had a new book coming out, Mother Rose would schedule her for a signing.
“I will always be grateful for her presence in my life. Her heart made me feel like home.”
Author and dance educator Dr. Halifu Osumare agreed.
“Her loving attention to ‘our’ bookstore, Underground Books in Oak Park, brought literature to the masses, making reading necessary, accessible and fun,” Dr. Osumare said.
As part of a national tour, the author’s latest book, “Dancing the Afrofuture,” was showcased at Underground Books in March.
“As an author she supported, I always knew she would sponsor my community book readings at her venue, introducing me with her own inimitable style,” Dr. Osumare said. “She made me feel like I was the most brilliant literary asset to the entire community. Her loving, supportive spirit will be sorely missed, but I know she will be continuing to encourage us all as an honored ancestor.”
From her place at the store’s front counter, Mother Rose also encouraged customers to bring their children to see Black Santa at Christmas time and visit the adjacent Guild Theater and Fixins restaurant. She also sold people on attending the annual Oak Park Speaker Series and Black Film Festival. Mother Rose also supported other literacy champions, opening the store’s doors to organizers of the Sacramento Black Book Fair and the Black Women Write group.
Mother Rose was a fixture at the bookstore until failing health made being there impossible. She was first diagnosed with small cell lung cancer in August 2014, Johnson said.
“At the time given the stage and type of cancer they told her the five-year survival rate was 3% and the 10-year survival rate was less than 1%. She beat all the odds and we had her for 10 years. The Lord blessed her, and us, in that respect and we remain so grateful for the time we had with her.”
Even as her cancer progressed, Mother Rose continued to lead the store, seeing it through the pandemic and a large remodel. All with a smile.
“With survival odds like that it’s hard to stay strong, but Mother Rose never once gave in to negative thinking,” Johnson said. “She went through countless rounds of chemo, radiation and clinical trials. Not once did she complain. She rarely missed work.
“She soldiered through in a way that made us extremely proud.”
West was described as “no-nonsense with a sweet demeanor.”
“Mother Rose was generally the nicest, kindest person you could imagine,” Johnson said. “But, if for some reason she felt someone was being wronged, particularly one of ‘her people,’ she could be absolutely fierce. Her nursing colleagues said that she was the best person to work a shift with because she was so energetic and fun, but if you were having trouble with a patient she could snap them up with the quickness.”
While West was happy to be known as “Kevin and Ronnie’s mother,” or “the mayor’s mom,” Johnson said there was so much more to her.
“I think she’d want to be remembered as someone who was always thinking about others with a particular heart for young people. She mentored so many Sac High students who worked at the bookstore. They’d all say about her that she was tough, but fair and that she taught them discipline and structure.”
In August, UC Davis’ Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing honored Mother Rose with its “Equity-Minded Community Award for Lifetime Achievement, Service, and Love.” While West was unable to attend, the award was presented by founding faculty member Dr. Jann Murray-Garcia. She called Mother Rose’s passing a “deep, deep loss to the Sacramento region.”
“Mother Rose’s nursing career did not end with her clinical nursing career of 27 years. Her contributions continued to bring health to the community long after her formal career in nursing was done. In a lot of ways, Mother Rose never stopped nursing our community.”
West was an inspiration to her and many others, Dr. Murray-Garcia said.
“I will always imitate her tireless example of mothering, being so proud of, and investing in others, as she did with me.”
West is survived by her sons Kevin Johnson and Ronald West, daughter-in-law Michelle Johnson, and members of her extended Brownstone family. She will also be remembered by her St. HOPE family and close-knit group of friends.
A celebration of life service for West is set for 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, at Saint Paul Church of Sacramento.
Editor’s Note:Georgia West is among the women OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer Genoa Barrow writes about in her 2022 book, “7×7: Kudos & Kwansabas/Something For My Sistahs.” Local writer JaNay Brown-Wood has also penned a special poem about Mother Rose. To read Brown-Wood’s piece, scan the QR code.