Not All the Same

Jenesis Veras

November 25, 2014

Professor Jackson

Writing 1

Writing Prompt: Toni Morrison Video

           

The greatest living author and Nobel Prize winner in Literature, Toni Morrison stated that she does not want to be viewed as an African American writer but simply as an American writer. In her mind, race is a terminology, which can only be defined as a human being. She does not want any specific label relating the color of skin because it is an act of racism, which is a social contract and of which money can be made off of. We all need to know something about racism but there is no such thing as race.

The interviewer links President Barack Obama with Toni Morrison probably because they are both well-known successful African Americans. However, when Toni Morrison makes a joke about her being responsible for Obama Care, we can clearly see what the negative effect is of linking people together. Due to the fact that they are people with the same color, many may believe that they may have the same mindset. That is the reason why she simply wanted to be labeled as an American because once one starts categorizing groups of individuals, one starts to assume that they all share one common belief.