Toni Morrison

I am a huge fan of Toni Morrison. The Bluest Eye was the first assigned reading that I actually read from cover to cover. I devoured it...and remember being so glad to have a reading assignment that actually was about me...about something I could relate to easily.

Not only am I a fan of Morrison's writing but also of her oratory. Periodically I scan the web for interviews or lectures she's given. The below footage is my most recent find.



In reference to the question of whether today's young women, particularly African American women, are able to connect with The Bluest Eye (in the same way that Morrison and women of the 1970s did) she states:
"[Young African American Women] seem to be excessively confident in themselves...They don't even know what I'm talking about....."

I am surprised by Toni Morrison's statement. My blogging on this is not meant to be viewed as me pointing the finger at her only, but I guess as more of a launching pad for discussion on collective responsiblility. I've heard it before...when asking elders about a young person's ability to do or think about virtually anything...I've seen that facial expression before. In my view it's a community issue. When elders write off young people's ability to feel or relate then they also (I'm sure unconsciously) shut off major points of dialogue.

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Something surreal happened to me at work today. I was doing an activity to help introduce Birmingham's role in the modern Civil Rights Movement. My group consisted of children from the ages 4-16 and they were all attending a summer camp at their church. At the end of the activity...we had a discussion about "the movement" and the people who were involved. The students then followed by asking several questions but one stayed with me:

A young Black girl about 10 years old told me, "It's hard to talk about this stuff...I feel funny going through the museum. What is that funny feeling and will I always have it?"

Her question and the comments of other young people in the room clearly serve as evidence that young people have an ability to connect with their identity in ways which even Toni Morrison (in the above post) and other elders would find hard to imagine.

In response to the young girl's question I basically told her that she was probably feeling her history and that was a good thing. Instead of being afraid she should continue to remember and use her feelings as motivation.

One time Charile Rose was interviewing Toni Morrison and he asked her (paraphrasing here): "Don't you ever get tired and feel weighed down by always writing about heavy race topics like slavery?" Morrsion commented (paraphrasing again), "No. All I have to do is write about the past. They (Slaves) had to live it. The least that I can do is make sure that they are remembered."

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Somewhere in this process is the next step, a bridge, a link to the past. My personal goal is find it and help be a conduit for not just dialgue, but also reasonable action.

A Historic and Surreal Night

This evening I attended a book signing and discussion on the life and political career of the former governor John Patterson. A "former" segregationist, in 1956 Patterson was Alabama's Atty. General and while in office he outlawed all chapters of the NAACP in the state. Later in 1961 the Freedom Riders came through Alabama and Patterson did not provide them with security (thereby granting white supremacists a free pass to assault them in Anniston, Birmingham, and Montgomery).

The program with Patterson tonight was held in the Dr. Richard Arrington, Jr. (named for Birmingham's 1st Black Mayor) Auditorium of the Birmingham Public Library's Central Branch. I went to the program with all these factors in mind and was somewhat disappointed by the passive and somewhat altered process of truth-telling about his time in office.

The program opened with two quotes about Patterson:


"This former governor's life is dramatic history, begging to be told" (Author)


"He has lived a life that only we can dream of having" (Gregg Bass)


A brief summary of Patterson's life followed these statements. A summary which almost completely omitted discussion of his segregationist past. In lieu of discussing the civil rights era, the author stated, "The whole civil rights era has created its own literature which is quite substantial..."


Patterson discussed various aspects of his political life but mostly retold stories about Alabama football, old campaign culture, and he identified a few VIPs who were in the audience. One guy's name escapes me, but he is one of the last living survivors of the US contingent of the Bay of Pigs. Apparently Patterson was good friends with John F. Kennedy, Jr and he sent Alabama troops and military equipment down during the Bay of Pigs. Patterson talked about visiting Kennedy's home in Georgetown whenever he was in D.C. and also eating dinner there with Jack and Jackie. I found it interesting that these two men fraternized considering one was a vocal segregationist and the other is credited for starting the process which lead to the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Former governor Albert Brewer was also in the audience.


During the question and answer time I had some difficulty being recognized by Patterson. There were three points at which my hand was up first and we engaged in eye contact. He ignored me each time, until it was too obvious and too ridiculous to continue without acknowledging me. My question was about his opinion of the current presidential campaign. I really wanted to hear feedback from him on America electing (1) oldest, (2) 1st female, (3) or 1st African American. He's pretty elderly now and his perspective on the US having it's oldest president in the history of of our nation was something that I wanted to hear him talk about. Additionally, Patterson lost his election in 1963 to Lurleen Wallace, Alabama's first female governor. With that experience in mind...I wanted to hear his thoughts of Hillary Clinton's campaign.


Lastly, considering his segregationist "past", it would be interesting to consider his feelings about the potential for Barack Obama to reach the presidency.


What I received from John Patterson was in away an advertisement for Barack Obama.........................Patterson is a 'good' politician:


"There was a time for change in the 1960s and Kennedy was about change. Today there is a need for change. Obama is for change."


Later this evening Obama announced that he is the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party's candidacy to the presidency of the United States of America. It's a historic and surreal night.