Toni Morrison
Born: February 19, 1931
Died: August 5, 2019
The list of accolades and superlatives for Toni Morrison is justifiably long. A renowned writer, Morrison published many critically acclaimed works, such as The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon, and Beloved. She was the recipient of both the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize in Literature. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama and was eulogized by Oprah Winfrey. She broke barriers as the first black female editor at Random House publishing, but perhaps most importantly, she used her brilliant writing to shed light on the Black American experience and the consequences of the sin of racism.
Born Chloe Ardelia Wofford, Toni Morrison came to be known as “Toni” after taking on the name Anthony after her Baptism into the Catholic Church during her pre-teen years. Her relationship with her faith was complicated: though she infused Catholic imagery and Biblical metaphor into her writing, she was not known to speak about her faith publicly. Still, Morrison’s steadfast belief in the dignity of the human person was inspired in some part by her understanding of Catholic social teaching, and she was unafraid to challenge systems of oppression and injustice.
More about Toni Morrison:
Holy words: The writing of Toni Morrison, Fanny Howe, and Rebecca Brown
The Catholicism that runs through these women’s work is one of deep empathy for the struggle of others, of ritual, and of redemption.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
