Monmouth University’s first annual Toni Morrison Day celebrated the life and legacy of the African American novelist, Pulitzer Prize winner in fiction, and Nobel Prize winner in literature, on Tuesday, Feb. 18
Sponsored by the Department of English, the Guggenheim Memorial Library, and the Honors School, the honorary event was first planned in September, a month after Morrison’s death in August.
“We thought that this was a really fitting celebration of her legacy,” said Beth Swanson, Lecturer of English and faculty advisor of Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honor Society. “This is something we actually had a thought about since the fall semester but we really didn’t start to put into motion until January.”
The all-day event began with a welcome speech by Courtney Werner Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English, opening remarks by Swanson, and a keynote address from Walter Greason Ph.D., Associate Professor and Chair of Educational Counseling and Leadership.
Other exhibitions included a presentation on the works of Toni Morrison given by Anwar Uhuru Ph.D., Assistant Professor of English, a screening of the 2019 film Toni Morrison: The Piece I am, a pedagogy panel titled “Teaching Toni Morrison” facilitated by Assistant Professor of English Alena Graedon, and a marathon reading of Morrison’s 1973 novel Sula by student and faculty volunteers.
“I was really interested in involving [Sigma Tau Delta] in a way that would showcase the talents of our English majors by having our students do a readathon,” said Swanson.
Melissa Lauria, a junior English student and president of Sigma Tau Delta, helped organize and promote the reading. She said, “The Sula reading was wonderful. There is a stunning lyric quality to Morrison’s prose that truly shines when it’s read aloud. I’m so grateful to all of the student and faculty volunteers who helped us to finish the novel.” The reading began at 11:40 am and concluded at about 4:10 pm.
Josephine Gargiulo, a junior English student and member of Sigma Tau Delta, participated in a 15-minute reading of the novel.
She said, “I thought it was a great experience and I was actually really nervous…everyone was so encouraging and I felt more confident afterwards.” \
Aside from Sula, Morrison’s notable works include Song of Solomon (1977), Beloved (1987), The Bluest Eye (1970), and Tar Baby (1981).
Graedon’s pedagogy panel on Sula featured a lecture on narrative voice in the novel.
Graedon said, “We were talking in that teaching panel about the canon and what constitutes it. I think that there is a strong argument to make that if we’re going to have something like a codified canon of literary voices, that Morrison should be included in that.”
“She was able to write contemporary mythology that reinvented what the novel could do,” she added. “If we’re going to recognize any contemporary literary author, she is a person who really deserves to be recognized.”
Lauria said, “Honoring the first African American female Nobel Prize winner gives us a chance not only to return to some of her great work, but also to prioritize the celebration of literary and cultural genius.”
“Toni Morrison is so much more than a writer” said Swanson. “She was a visionary, she was an activist, and her goal of trying to bring people together and create this vision of a shared future is something that we can take advantage of.”
Swnason concluded, “She has carved out this path for us. I think that this is a step towards the kind of inclusivity that we want to see on our campus.”
Morrison would have turned 89 years old on Feb. 18, which was the reason for choosing the day.
PHOTOS TAKEN by Melissa Badamo
