Everyone is trying to come to grips with the passing of one of the world’s greatest wonders, Ms. Toni Morrison.
News of her death broke early this morning and an immediate wave of condolences, love and reverence flooded social media. There were articles unearthed with invaluable wisdom from Morrison, like this gem where Morrison and Angela Davis discuss their friendship. Or this article in Essence with Nikki Giovanni, Morrison and Maya Angelou, talking about the state of Black women.
Many just decided to speak of the literary giant in her own words. We wrote about Morrison in remembrance, but even we found it hard to encapsulate such a grand life into one post, it was impossible, an exercise in futility. Maybe the only way to do her legacy justice, is to speak her own words. Below we’ve compiled some of the most heartwarming tributes.
“…just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.”
advertisement~Toni Morrison pic.twitter.com/rK682fXw1W
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) August 6, 2019
Toni Morrison. While you have left the physical realm, the many treasures you left us will bear fruit for generations and generations. Your work has cascaded through my life deeply and simply…rest in power to a beloved icon. pic.twitter.com/YQPS3gR5Ml
advertisement— Tracee Ellis Ross (@TraceeEllisRoss) August 6, 2019
Thank you, Toni Morrison ✨ pic.twitter.com/qMeNLSVDcM
— Shondaland (@byshondaland) August 6, 2019
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“Racism will disappear when [it’s] no longer profitable and no longer psychologically useful. When that happens, it’ll be gone” – Toni Morrison
Rest in power, Queen. When you see Roxie, give her a kiss. pic.twitter.com/Z1N39Y1xj4— Lenny Kravitz (@LennyKravitz) August 6, 2019
Toni Morrison was a national treasure, as good a storyteller, as captivating, in person as she was on the page. Her writing was a beautiful, meaningful challenge to our conscience and our moral imagination. What a gift to breathe the same air as her, if only for a while. pic.twitter.com/JG7Jgu4p9t
advertisement— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 6, 2019
“In times of dread, artists must never remain silent. This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That’s how civilizations heal” Toni Morrison. pic.twitter.com/3U3u3HeyTZ
— COMMON (@common) August 6, 2019
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“If you look at the world as a brutal game, then you bump into the mystery of the tree-shaped scar. There seems to be such a thing as grace, such a thing as beauty, such a thing as harmony. All of which are wholly free and available to us.” Your life was our gift, #ToniMorrison pic.twitter.com/wcD7w9zKYp
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) August 6, 2019
The brilliance of Toni Morrison can only be explained by her own words! Rest In Power pic.twitter.com/0L5vkTWDJx
advertisement— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) August 6, 2019
The World is standing still in homage to one of the greatest literary treasures of all time. Thank You Toni Morrison. We will forever speak your name. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/fb3XlTzZlE
— Debbie Allen (@msdebbieallen) August 6, 2019
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Toni Morrison pic.twitter.com/nVjs88kTeg
— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) August 6, 2019
Deeply missed is an understatement, but her words and impact will live forever!