Toni Morrison's Lorain

Interview Introduction:

Brookie M. Madison is a Lorain County native, Howard University alumna, poet, writer, published author, communications professional, and business owner. Arieyauna Capers conducted the interview via email in early September.

What neighborhoods, buildings, businesses, schools, churches, or public  spaces were especially important to you?  

Being from Elyria, specifically growing up off of 57, southside Lorain, the Lake, Rainbow  Bakery, the Easter Basket, K Cream Corner, K-mart, A.J. Wright, Tina’s Hair Supply,  Vera’s Beauty Salon, Marcs, Flowerama, Chi Chi’s, and Fashion Bug, are all places that  were important to me and signified that I was in Lorain. My memories of Lorain involve  spending Saturdays shopping and pampering with my mom, sister, and nana. We’d spend  Saturdays in the shop at Vera’s getting our hair relaxed by Shanay, and we’d leave with  that confidence boost that one gets when they leave a salon. 

What memories best capture everyday life in Lorain?  

I would say pulling up to the International Festival with friends and family captures everyday  life in Lorain. That is a special occasion to see different cultures and have access to so  many cuisines all in one place, but that’s really how Lorain is. You turn down one street and  see businesses and community buildings catering to one ethnic group, and then you turn  down another and see the same thing for a different ethnic group. Lorain is and has always  been a melting pot of different cultures living amongst each other. 

Do you think Lorain has fully recognized Morrison’s local and international  significance? Why or why not?  

No, I don’t think Lorain has fully recognized Morrison’s local and international significance,  but I am glad to see that they are intentional about recognizing her significance now  and making a big deal about her legacy.

I heard about Toni Morrison growing up and  knew she was a writer, but I didn’t realize her cultural importance to Black life and  literature until I went to our shared alma mater, Howard University. Classes I’d taken in  undergrad–like African American Literature from the 1940s to present, would mention  Ms. Morrison. It gave me a great sense of pride anytime Ms. Morrison’s name was  mentioned knowing that I’m from the same place she’s from and having gone to the  same college that she did.

I recall having class discussions about the excerpts we’d read from her bodies of work, and these did nothing but make me want to read her  books for myself to really take my time with them. I purposely sought out her work to  see Lorain from a different lens and from a different time, but also to admire her writing  style. I love the fact that she wrote about Black life entirely separate from and without  any interference from whiteness. She told honest stories about situations and  circumstances that plagued Black people at that time, but she didn’t attempt to appease  others either. Lastly, I love how descriptive Ms. Morrison was in her writing. 

Which local landmarks, institutions, events, or organizations currently help  preserve her legacy?  

Libraries, after school programs, and literacy and cultural programs are great ways to  preserve her legacy. Anything that gives someone an outlet to observe their  surroundings, learn from others, read, create, tell their own stories, and let their  imagination run free would honor Ms. Morrison.  

What story about Toni Morrison or Lorain would you most like future  generations to remember?  

I think future generations should remember that Toni Morrison never forgot where she  came from. Oftentimes people leave where they’re from on a quest to find  themselves and do better for themselves (myself included), but being from a small  town instills an appreciation for community and closeness. The city of Lorain and  landmarks around Lorain and Ohio continuously showed up in her writing.

Her  career and excellence truly teaches you that you can be from a small town, have a  lasting impact, and dream big. Ms. Morrison worked as an editor for years in New  York and didn’t write her first book until almost 40-years-old, then she won the  Nobel Prize in Literature in her 60s. Those two things alone are proof that hard  work pays off and that your calling is your calling and at some point you will have  to answer.