Today would have been Toni Morrison’s 89th birthday. I choose to celebrate her life today because her influence on me as a writer, thinker, and human being cannot be underestimated. Her mastery of the written word showed me that the distinction between prose and poetry can be blurred to profound effect. The themes contained in her work also challenge me to step outside my limited worldview. She reminds me that true compassion must be actively cultivated; it cannot happen passively. She reminds me of my responsibility to the world, to use my platform and my privilege to help free others. And, more viscerally, her writing is moving and evocative. Her novels rip my heart asunder while still motivating me to keep my pen to paper. She was a phenomenological and poetic lion, daring to unapologetically write about race, gender, and raw human experience, all while refusing to bend to the white gaze. If you haven’t yet, celebrate today by reading Morrison’s words. There are few better ways to spend a day.
