ALL LOVE TO TONI MORRISON
Alive at 89.
Toni Morrison may have taken her last physical breath on August 5th of 2019, but her spirit still remains alive and well inside everyone who reads her words. The influence of an author does not expire when they pass, their words are carried through time and space impacting our world view and and in turn uplifting their spirit. On February 18th, I was able to experience just that.
The inaugural Toni Morrison Festival , co-founded by Cleyvis Natera and Magogodi Makhene, was held on Toni Morrison’s birthday at the Brooklyn Museum on Tuesday, February 18th. Although the doors opened at 6pm, a line formed outside the museum with an array of women and men of all ages in anticipation of this celebration. The festival honored her life, passion, free spirit, journey, and the wisdom she shared with the world. The two hour programming contained many different art forms, with praise commemoration by the Revival Resistance Chorus, interpretive dance by Earl Mosley Diversity of Dance and Restoration Dance Youth Ensemble, poetry readings, and more. It was a gathering for all the senses.
Co-founders Cleyvis Natera and Magogodi Makhene || photo by Mitch S Jackson
In front of a sold out crowd, two women of color, Cleyvis Natera and Magogodi Makhene, from two different backgrounds (Domican Republic and South Africa), shared their story on how and why this festival came to be. These two women, bound together by the impact that Toni Morrison had on their lives, continued their bond and this “galvanizing mission” as Cleyvis describes, to keep the light and teachings of Toni Morrison alive and relevant for the generations that are up next.
2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison’s first book released in 1970 which tells the story of racism from multiple points of views about an African-American girl who felt less than beautiful in her own skin since beauty to her meant being white. The dance members of the Restoration Dance Youth Ensemble were assigned the task to read the Bluest Eye and express their derived feelings through their interpretative choreography on stage. These young women of color danced beautifully showing vulnerability and passion, making it clear that the message from the Bluest Eye is still relevant in the lives of young women today.
Cleyvis and Magogodi’s love for each other was felt through the crowd, as the two women expressed such deep gratitude for their friendship and expanding that into a working relationship as co-founders.“We feel that Toni Morrison has been guiding us throughout our friendship” Cleyvis said. As I witnessed the energy in the room, I thought to myself that the connection they have and exude with each other is the what we should all take and bring into our creative partnerships. “It was truly love at first sight” said Magogodi as she describes the initial connection of meeting Cleyvis at a mutual friend’s book launch. The love and respect the two co-founders have for each other was the common theme in the celebration of Toni’s life. They wanted to put us as the audience on a spiritual journey with mothers and ancestors as a way to continue Toni’s mission of creating the world we desire and hope for, by not waiting for it to come to us.
Cleyvis and Magogodi wanted to leave our theGIRLMOB readers with thought provoking quotes and messages by and or inspired by Toni Morrison. So as you close out your February take these as affirmations:
“The purpose of freedom, is to free someone else”
“What is the world for you if you can’t make it up the way you want it?”
-Toni Morrison
“If there is a book you want to read but it’s not written, you need to write it” -Cleyvis Natera
“The world that we are hungry for will not arrive unless we make it” -Magogodi Makhene
This festival brought together so many folks from different walks of lives, with diverse backgrounds and different ages. It was a unique gathering where the power house that is Toni Morrison and her legacy reverberated from the walls. Thank you to Cleyvis and Magogodi for inviting theGIRLMOB! We can’t wait to see what you do next year. Stay in touch here: www.tonimorrisonfestival.com and on the gram @tonimorrison.festival
Written by Deanna Repollet, TGM’s Partnerships Manger
