Toni Morrison

"We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives."— Toni Morrison, 1993

In 1993, Toni Morrison became the first Black woman to win a Nobel Prize, which she earned in the literature category. Her novels showcase the realities and struggles of life as a Black American. The Nobel Committee specifically noted that “she delves into the language itself, a language she wants to liberate from the fetters of race,” which we can see in this line from her acceptance speech. Whatever the actual meaning of life may be, how we communicate and tell our own stories sets us apart from all other living creatures on Earth.