My colleague gave the news at a meeting and I audibly gasped.
I was in shock for a bit and was out of it for the rest of the meeting.
I was truly introduced to Morrison's work as a college junior with my first black, female college professor.
Professor Tait was a huge admirer of Morrison's work and had both "The Bluest Eye" and "Beloved" on her syllabus. My only exposure to "Beloved" was a failed attempt at reading the material in 7th grade. The library book is probably still buried somewhere in my mother's house.
So I wasn't quite sure what to expect from these stories. I didn't expect them to change the way I think about literature. To change the way I see black love and black struggle.
"Beloved" is a book that you have to read twice. At least I did. To catch the nuances Morrison conveys I needed to comb over the material. The story follows Sethe, a former slave, who can't heal the scars that slavery has left. She attempts to kill her children when someone tries to force them back in. She succeeded with her baby girl. Her two boys run away after that and its just her and her other daughter, Denver. Then comes in Paul D.
Sethe and Paul D worked the same plantation for years. Paul D. struggles with the past and what he endured during slavery. He keeps all of his feelings inside his "tobacco bin" of a heart.
So we have these two traumatized, broken people who have seen more evil than one can imagine. Sethe and Paul D. survived the worst of what the world could throw at you. Both were so damaged.
Yet, they found a strength within each other. They found love within each other. No matter the scars and bruisings, they found something worth holding on to.
This narrative enforced that black people are stringer than what the world wants them to believe. We can find a way to love through the struggle. Black love is the strongest there is.
Morrison inspired millions to love freely and openly. To invest in your mind and your heart. She was a true literary icon and a black hero. She will be truly missed.
