Chloe Anthony Woodford Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Morrison) better known as Toni Morrison was born on February 18th, 1931, in Lorain, Ohio. At the age of 12, she became a catholic and adopted the named Anthony, shortening it to Toni as nickname, because many people had a hard time pronouncing “Chloe”. She graduated from Howard University in 1953 with a B.A. in English, and from Cornell University with a master’s degree in American Literature in 1955.
After graduating from Howard, Morrison taught English for several years, she then became the first Black female editor at Random House in New York, City, at this time she began writing her own novels. Her first novel “The Bluest Eye” was published in 1970, it tells the story of a young Black girl Pecola Breedlove who believes that having blue eyes would make her life better. The novel did not gain widespread attention at first, but it has since become a classic. A few years later, she published “Sula”, a novel about a deep and complicated relationship between two women in a small town.
Her third novel, “Song of Solomon” was published in 1977 and won awards, it is about a man Milkman Dead, searching for his roots and identity. However, her most famous novel is “Beloved” which won her a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1987. Beloved tells the haunting story of Sethe, a former slave, and her troubled relationship with the ghost of her dead daughter. In addition to her novels, she wrote essays, plays, and children’s books. In 1993, she became the first Black woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. In 2021, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contributions to literature and her impact on African American culture.
Morrison passed away on August 5th, 2019, but her legacy lives on. Her work continues to be read and studied, and her impact on literature and culture is immeasurable. She opened doors for future generations of Black writers and showed the world the beauty and power in storytelling. Her work will always be remembered for its beauty, depth, and truth. As the political climate changes and new rules are being implemented on books that can and cannot be taught in schools it is important that the life and legacy of Black authors like Morrison are continuously taught even if it cannot be in a physical school building. As her birthday is celebrated today it is important to remember that the hard work and effort she put into storytelling deserves to live on forever.
