ANCESTOR TONI MORRISON

by

Ginaya
​Donnette

​“If America was the melting pot then Black people were kettle” Toni Morrison exclaims in the new biography movie about her life.  She was renowned for using her position as editor to pull up many Black authors.  Some time ago I met Morrison after a library conference in DC in the home of a friend’s mentor and fellow Howard University professor.  Morrison  was a keynote speaker that day at the conference. I was stunned by her presence as a strong Black female steady in her knowledge in the ways of life and womanhood.   She drank cognac and spoke about politics with an earthy tone that could plant courage in the heart of the most fearful. 

​I see why writers came to Morrison in her days as an editor and found solace in her innate abilities to bring out their creative side.  So humble that even in those days, she never called herself a writer until after she published her third book.  As a tribute to her I am reading her work The Bluest Eye about a young Black girl told to think that her beauty is defined by America’s definition.  A timeless piece that reminds us all of the true damage that failure to love ourselves can cause. And how we still face this challenge.  Hear Morrison’s silky tenor and tell your reflection in the mirror “I am beauty I am love I am fierce!”  Thank you Morrison for the stories you have left us.

Take a moment to pay homage to our groundbreaking literary giant who has transitioned.  We pour libations for ancestor Toni Morrison.