PRINTER'S NO. 2753
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
585
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY KENYATTA, HILL-EVANS, KOSIEROWSKI, SANCHEZ,
KINSEY, SAPPEY, ROEBUCK, BIZZARRO, HARRIS, KORTZ, SAMUELSON,
DiGIROLAMO, PETRARCA, ULLMAN, MILLARD, T. DAVIS, McCLINTON,
HOHENSTEIN, DAWKINS, DALEY, STRUZZI, KIM, ZABEL, BULLOCK,
DeLUCA, MALAGARI, SCHLOSSBERG AND SCHWEYER, OCTOBER 22, 2019
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, OCTOBER 22, 2019
A RESOLUTION
Honoring the life and accomplishments of Toni Morrison.
WHEREAS, Chloe Anthony Wofford "Toni" Morrison, an American
literary icon, died on August 5, 2019, following complications
of pneumonia; and
WHEREAS, Toni was born Chloe Ardelia Wofford on February 18,
1931, in Lorain, Ohio, to George and Ella Ramah Wofford; and
WHEREAS, At 12 years of age, Toni joined the Roman Catholic
Church and took on the baptismal name Anthony, serving as the
seed for the nickname Toni, which she became known as during her
collegiate career; and
WHEREAS, After graduating from Howard University in 1953 and
completing graduate studies at Cornell University in 1955, Toni
taught English for two years at Texas Southern University before
returning to Howard University as a faculty member; and
WHEREAS, Toni married Harold Morrison in 1958, though the
marriage only lasted until 1964 after which time she moved to
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New York with her sons and accepted an editorial position with
Random House where she would work with Angela Davis, Gayl Jones,
Toni Cade Bambara and Muhammad Ali; and
WHEREAS, Toni published her first book, "The Bluest Eye," in
1970, which went on to be listed by the City University of New
York as required reading in its black-studies department; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of her life, Toni authored 11
novels, as well as children's books and essay collections, and
her work is remembered for its exploration of black identity in
the United States; and
WHEREAS, Toni was a rare author whose books garnered both
critical and commercial success, appearing regularly on the New
York Times best-seller list while also serving as the subject of
numerous critical studies; and
WHEREAS, Toni's most lauded writings include "Song of
Solomon," which received the National Book Critics Circle Award
in 1977 and "Beloved," which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988; and
WHEREAS, In 1993, Toni became the first black woman to win
the Nobel Prize in Literature and, in 2012, she received the
Presidential Medal of Freedom; and
WHEREAS, Toni's writing tapped into the psychological impact
of slavery while offering insight into the soul of black
America; and
WHEREAS, Toni's gripping prose continues to resonate in our
society, as she wrote, "[f]reeing yourself was one thing;
claiming ownership of that freed self was another"; therefore be
it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives honor the life
and accomplishments of Toni Morrison; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives extend its
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deepest condolences to the surviving family members and friends
of Toni Morrison.
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