Toni Morrison’s genius was the inspiration of my youth Diane Abbott
almost 5 years in The guardian
When there were so few black female role models, to encounter this wonderful writer was a genuine sensation for me
Toni Morrison was part of an extraordinary generation of African American women writers. But she was the most special. She was the queen. To understand the impact she had on me you have to appreciate that I came of age in an era when there were very few black female role models.
Prominent black women tended to be entertainers: British popular music pianist Winifred Atwell, British jazz singer Cleo Laine, or the host of American jazz singers such as Ella Fitzgerald. So Toni Morrison was a complete revelation. Black male writers were rare enough. But a black female writer was for me a genuine sensation. She and her peer group – Alice Walker, Gloria Naylor and Ntozake Shange – burned into my consciousness. Toni Morrison did so much to shape my understanding of life and politics, and my world as a black woman. Continue reading...
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