Ceremony Pays Tribute to Toni Morrison and Honors Community Leaders

On Sunday, October 13, 2019, Mama Earth's Soul Garden and 50 Women Gone presented The Greater Harvest: A Celebration of Toni Morrison & Each Other. The event, which took place at the Quarry, included a screening of the Toni Morrison documentary titled The Pieces I Am and honored a number of women "who represent the fierce resistance, resilience, courage, power and authenticity reflected in the characters of Toni Morrison’s monumental novels, interviews and essays."

Each honoree was crowned as Invincible Harvest Woman for her work in the community and received an award that was inscribed with the words "authentic self-expression, abundant community service, and creative social enterprise." Included in the acceptance speeches were Toni Morrison quotes.

Before the start of the program, audience members had been given an assignment to take notes during the film. In between award presentations, we had a chance to discuss our thoughts on the film in reference to what, in particular, stood out to each of us. In reference to Toni Morrison's story, Beverly Reed Scott, creator of The Soul Garden, affirmed, "We are the repository, the mooring. We are the proof of Toni Morrison's glory." In response to a segment where opera singer Jessye Norman stated, "There is music in her writing," one attendee added that you can hear the richness, rhythm, and detail, not just words, in Ms. Morrison's work. Personally speaking, the writing advice that activist Angela Davis said she received from Ms. Morrison is priceless. Ms. Davis was encouraged to see writing, which is something I try to incorporate in my writing to help determine where it is best to focus my attention. I expressed that I can definitely relate to Ms. Morrison's emphasis on the two things that are most important to her, which are 1) being a mother and 2) being a writer. Also, I reminisced on the time when my daughter portrayed two distinct characters in Howard University Department of Theatre Arts' production of Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye." What a joy and an honor it was to witness this work in action!

According to one of the awardees, being in the Soul Garden is about experiencing what happens when "people of like minds and hearts and energy get together." It was also mentioned that we must work on restoring and sustaining our communities to the point where we are not just surviving but thriving. It starts on the individual level and personally taking responsibility and collectively changing the way we do things. We must recognize young women as the next harvest and be advocates for young mothers who are facing challenges. "Somebody has to be able to talk to the young people out there...They are learning from us in these spaces and taking that knowledge back out there," said Mrs. Scott.

Toni Morrison is one of the most influential writers of all time, and this event was a great way to honor her memory. The focus of her writing has always been geared toward being a powerful voice for the African-American experience. I am confident that most of us can agree with this final thought that were shared by another guest: "We need to continue to recognize and share her literature...with our youth and the rest of the world."

Here is a quote from Beverly Reed Scott on why she created Mama Earth's Soul Garden: "You see I believe in the transformative power of love and the healing nature of truth. It is my calling to use my gifts to assist in the upkeep of our beautiful Earth home and the support all of who resonate with my vibration." You can find more information at https://www.facebook.com/thesoulgarden/.