[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 402 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 402

         Honoring the life, work, and legacy of Toni Morrison.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 31, 2019

    Mr. Brown (for himself and Mr. Portman) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
         Honoring the life, work, and legacy of Toni Morrison.

Whereas Toni Morrison, born Chloe Ardelia Wofford on February 18, 1931, in 
        Lorain, Ohio, to George Wofford and Ramah Willis Wofford, was a 
        pioneering novelist, writer, editor, and professor;
Whereas Toni Morrison graduated from Lorain High School in Lorain, Ohio, with 
        honors in 1949;
Whereas, in 1953, Toni Morrison graduated from Howard University in Washington, 
        D.C., with a bachelor of arts degree in English and a minor in Classics;
Whereas, in 1955, Toni Morrison graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, New 
        York, with a master of arts degree in English;
Whereas, in 1955, Toni Morrison became a professor at Texas Southern University 
        in Houston, Texas;
Whereas, from 1957 to 1964, Toni Morrison taught at Howard University in 
        Washington, D.C.;
Whereas, from 1965 to 1968, Toni Morrison was a senior editor with textbook 
        publisher L.W. Singer in Syracuse, New York;
Whereas, from 1968 to 1983, Toni Morrison was the first African-American woman 
        senior editor in the history of Random House, Inc., in New York City;
Whereas, in 1970, Holt, Rhinehart and Winston published ``The Bluest Eye'', the 
        first novel by Toni Morrison;
Whereas, in 1973, Knopf published the novel ``Sula'' by Toni Morrison;
Whereas, in 1975, Toni Morrison received the Ohioana Book Award for ``Sula'', 
        which was also nominated for the American Book Award;
Whereas, from 1975 to 1977, Toni Morrison was a visiting professor at Yale 
        University in New Haven, Connecticut;
Whereas, in 1977, Knopf published the novel ``Song of Solomon'' by Toni 
        Morrison, which was chosen as a Book-of-the-Month selection the same 
        year;
Whereas, in 1978, Toni Morrison received, for ``Song of Solomon''--

    (1) the National Book Critics Circle Award;

    (2) the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Award;

    (3) the Oscar Micheaux Award; and

    (4) the Cleveland Arts Prize for Literature;

Whereas, in 1979, Toni Morrison was awarded the Barnard Medal of Distinction 
        from Barnard College in New York City;
Whereas, from 1979 to 1980, Toni Morrison was a Distinguished Visiting Lecturer 
        at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York;
Whereas, in 1980, Toni Morrison was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to serve 
        on the National Council on the Arts, a position Morrison held through 
        1987;
Whereas, in 1981--

    (1) Knopf published the novel ``Tar Baby'' by Toni Morrison; and

    (2) Toni Morrison--

    G    (A) was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters; and

    G    (B) received the Langston Hughes Award from the City College of 
New York in New York City;

Whereas, in 1983, ``Recitatif'', the only short story by Toni Morrison, was 
        published in ``Confirmations: An Anthology of African American Women 
        Writers'';
Whereas, from 1983 to 1984, Toni Morrison was a Distinguished Visiting Professor 
        at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey;
Whereas, from 1984 to 1989, Toni Morrison was the Schweitzer Professor of the 
        Humanities, College of the Humanities and Fine Arts, at State University 
        of New York in Albany, New York;
Whereas, in 1985, Toni Morrison joined the board of trustees of the New York 
        Public Library;
Whereas, in 1986, Toni Morrison wrote ``Dreaming Emmett'', an unpublished play 
        commissioned by the New York State Writers Institute, for which Morrison 
        received the New York State Governor's Arts Award the same year;
Whereas, in 1987, Knopf published the novel ``Beloved'' by Toni Morrison, a 
        portrait of a woman haunted by the legacy of slavery in post-Civil War 
        Ohio, for which Morrison received the Anisfield Wolf Book Award in Race 
        Relations in 1988;
Whereas, in 1988, Toni Morrison--

    (1) won the Pulitzer Prize for ``Beloved'';

    (2) received, for ``Beloved''--

    G    (A) the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award;

    G    (B) the Melcher Book Award; and

    G    (C) the Elmer Holmes Bobst Award for Fiction;

    (3) received the Ohioana Career Medal Award; and

    (4) delivered the Robert C. Tanner Lecture on Human Values at the 
University of Michigan;

Whereas, from 1989 to 2006, Toni Morrison was the Robert F. Goheen Professor in 
        the Council of the Humanities at Princeton University in Princeton, New 
        Jersey, where she was recognized with emeritus status in 2006;
Whereas, in 1990, Toni Morrison delivered--

    (1) the Massey Lectures at Harvard University;

    (2) the first Chazen Lecture at the University of Wisconsin;

    (3) a Charter Lecture at the University of Georgia; and

    (4) the Clark Lectures at Trinity College in Cambridge, England;

Whereas, in 1991, Toni Morrison was awarded the Rosenberger Medal at the 
        University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois;
Whereas, in 1992--

    (1) Knopf published the novel ``Jazz'' by Toni Morrison;

    (2) Pantheon published ``Race-ing Justice, 
En-gendering Power: Essays on Anita Hill, Clarence Thomas, and the 
Construction of Social Reality'', a collection edited by Toni Morrison; and

    (3) Harvard University Press published ``Playing in the Dark: Whiteness 
and the Literary Imagination'' by Toni Morrison;

Whereas, in 1993, Toni Morrison--

    (1) received the honor of Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des 
Lettres, a prestigious award for distinguished contributions to French and 
world culture;

    (2) became the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize in 
Literature for being an author ``who in novels characterized by visionary 
force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American 
reality'';

    (3) wrote the lyrics for the song cycle ``Honey and Rue'' with composer 
Andre Previn for Kathleen Battle, a work commissioned by Carnegie Hall; and

    (4) founded the Princeton Atelier, a studio arts program at Princeton 
University that brings together students and visiting artists to explore 
the collaborative creative process;

Whereas, in 1994, Toni Morrison--

    (1) received--

    G    (A) the Condorcet Medal from the Ecole Normale Superierue in 
Paris, France; and

    G    (B) the Pearl Buck Award from the Pearl Buck Foundation;

    (2) held the International Condorcet Chair at the Ecole Normale 
Superieure and the College de France in Paris, France; and

    (3) wrote lyrics for ``Four Songs'' with composer Andre Previn, which 
was performed by Sylvia McNair at Carnegie Hall;

Whereas, in 1996, Toni Morrison--

    (1) was awarded the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished 
Contribution to American Letters in New York City;

    (2) was named the Jefferson Lecturer in the Humanities by the National 
Endowment for the Humanities; and

    (3) delivered the keynote address at the 250th Anniversary Convocation 
of Princeton University;

Whereas, in 1997, Toni Morrison--

    (1) co-edited ``Birth of a Nation'hood: Gaze, Script, and Spectacle in 
the O.J. Simpson Case'', a collection of essays on the O.J. Simpson case 
published by Pantheon; and

    (2) wrote the lyrics for ``Sweet Talk'' with composer Richard 
Danielpour, which was performed by Jessye Norman at Carnegie Hall;

Whereas, from 1997 to 2003, Toni Morrison was the A.D. White Professor-At-Large 
        at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York;
Whereas, in 1998--

    (1) Knopf published the novel ``Paradise'' by Toni Morrison; and

    (2) Toni Morrison wrote the lyrics for ``Spirits in the Well'' with 
composer Richard Danielpour, which was performed by Jessye Norman at Avery 
Fisher Hall;

Whereas, in 1998--

    (1) the audio book ``Beloved'', which was recorded by Toni Morrison, 
received a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Album; and

    (2) Toni Morrison delivered--

    G    (A) the Moffitt Lecture at Princeton University; and

    G    (B) the Berliner Lektionen at the Theater Berlin;

Whereas, in 1999, Toni Morrison--

    (1) received the Ohioana Book Award for Fiction; and

    (2) co-authored with her son, Slade Morrison, ``The Big Box'', which 
was published by Hyperion;

Whereas, in 2000, Toni Morrison--

    (1) wrote the lyrics for ``woman.life.song'' with composer Judith Weir, 
which was performed by Jessye Norman at Carnegie Hall; and

    (2) was awarded the National Humanities Medal;

Whereas, in 2001, Toni Morrison--

    (1) received--

    G    (A) the Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts; and

    G    (B) the Cavore Prize in Turin, Italy;

    (2) was honored at the Fete du Livre organized by Les Ecritures 
Croisees at the Cite du Livre in Aix-en-Provence, France; and

    (3) delivered a lecture at a lecture series sponsored by the United 
Nations Secretary General;

Whereas, in 2002, Toni Morrison--

    (1) delivered the Alexander Lectures at the University of Toronto; and

    (2) wrote the libretto for ``Margaret Garner'' with composer Richard 
Danielpour, an opera that was co-commissioned by--

    G    (A) the Michigan Opera Theatre;

    G    (B) the Cincinnati Opera; and

    G    (C) the Opera Company of Philadelphia;

Whereas, in 2003--

    (1) Toni Morrison received the Docteur Honoris Causa from the Ecole 
Normale Superieure in Paris, France; and

    (2) Knopf published the novel ``Love'' by Toni Morrison;

Whereas, in 2004, Toni Morrison--

    (1) delivered the Amnesty International Lecture in Edinburgh, Scotland;

    (2) received the ``Arts and Communities'' award from the Academy of 
Culture in Paris, France; and

    (3) received the Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work in Fiction 
from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People;

Whereas, in 2005, Toni Morrison--

    (1) received--

    G    (A) the Du Bois Medal from the W.E.B. DuBois Institute in 
Cambridge, Massachusetts; and

    G    (B) the Coretta Scott King Award from the American Library 
Association; and

    (2) was awarded a doctor of letters from Oxford University in Oxford, 
England;

Whereas, in 2006--

    (1) the New York Times rated ``Beloved'' by Toni Morrison as the ``Best 
Work of American Fiction of the Last 25 Years''; and

    (2) Toni Morrison--

    G    (A) through the ``Grand Invite'' program of the Musee du Louvre in 
Paris, France, was the Guest Curator of the Musee du Louvre; and

    G    (B) was named a Life Trustee of the New York Public Library;

Whereas, in 2007, Toni Morrison was awarded--

    (1) the Docteur Honoris Causa from the Universite Paris Sorbonne - 
Paris IV in Paris, France; and

    (2) the Radcliffe Institute Medal from the Radcliffe Institute for 
Advanced Study at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts;

Whereas, in 2008, Knopf published the novel ``A Mercy'' by Toni Morrison;
Whereas, in 2010, Toni Morrison received the Chevalier Ordre National de la 
        L'egion d'honneur, the highest national order of merit in France;
Whereas, in 2011, Toni Morrison wrote the play ``Desdemona'', which premiered in 
        Vienna, Austria;
Whereas, in 2012--

    (1) Toni Morrison delivered the Ingersoll Lecture at the Harvard 
Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts;

    (2) Knopf published the novel ``Home'' by Toni Morrison; and

    (3) President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 
the highest civilian honor of the United States, to Toni Morrison for her 
literary work and legacy as ``one of our nation's most celebrated 
novelists'';

Whereas, in 2014, Toni Morrison received the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement 
        Award from the National Book Critics Circle;
Whereas, in 2015, Knopf published the novel ``God Help the Child'' by Toni 
        Morrison;
Whereas, in 2016--

    (1) Toni Morrison was the Charles E. Norton Professor at Harvard 
University in Cambridge, Massachusetts;

    (2) the American Academy of Arts and Sciences awarded Toni Morrison the 
Emerson-Thoreau Medal for ``her distinguished achievement in the field of 
literature''; and

    (3) Toni Morrison received the PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in 
American Fiction;

Whereas, in 2017--

    (1) Harvard University Press published ``The Origin of Others'' by Toni 
Morrison, which was based on the Charles Eliot Norton Lectures presented by 
Morrison at Harvard University in 2016;

    (2) Toni Morrison delivered the keynote address at the Princeton 
Slavery Project Symposium; and

    (3) Princeton University dedicated the naming of Morrison Hall in honor 
of Toni Morrison, who was the Robert F. Goheen Professor in the Humanities, 
Emeritus, at Princeton University;

Whereas, in 2019--

    (1) Knopf published ``The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, 
Speeches, and Meditations'' by Toni Morrison; and

    (2) the American Academy of Arts and Letters awarded Toni Morrison a 
Gold Medal for distinguished achievement in the field of literature;

Whereas the invaluable contributions of Toni Morrison to literature in the 
        United States during a career that spanned more than 5 decades will 
        inform generations of authors, scholars, teachers, and students in the 
        United States and around the world; and
Whereas, on August 5, 2019, at the age of 88, Toni Morrison died, leaving a 
        legacy of a visionary literature that--

    (1) is extraordinary for the freshness of its narrative strategies and 
procedures; and

    (2) is dedicated to dramatizing the complex humanity and art of Black 
people: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) extends heartfelt sympathy to the family of Toni 
        Morrison on the occasion of her death;
            (2) recognizes Toni Morrison as--
                    (A) one of the most formidable scholars, educators, 
                and authors of the United States; and
                    (B) a writer of the stature of other great literary 
                figures of the United States, such as--
                            (i) Nathaniel Hawthorne;
                            (ii) Ralph Waldo Emerson;
                            (iii) Herman Melville;
                            (iv) Walt Whitman;
                            (v) Mark Twain; and
                            (vi) William Faulkner;
            (3) honors the life of Toni Morrison and the achievements 
        of Toni Morrison in humanities and literature; and
            (4) expresses deep appreciation for the exceptional and 
        vital work of Toni Morrison, including--
                    (A) the vehemence of the work;
                    (B) the uncensored exploration of race in the 
                United States that the work presented; and
                    (C) the enduring impact the work has had, and will 
                continue to have, on the United States.
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