we wouldn't have hurston the way we do without alice walker.portant piece of what has happened in the context of african american literature over the course of the 20th century. >> dr. kendi, we finally see the title, the reference to their eyes were watching god, in chapter 18 of the book during a hurricane. the passage in the book reads, the wind came back with trump or fury, and put out the light for the last time. they sat in company with the others in other shanties, their eyes straining against crude walls, and their souls asking if he meant to measure their puny might against his. they seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching god. end quote. tell me about this moment. >> let me actually just share, i think, what it meant to me and the beauty about fiction is that we can all interpret it in different ways. you know, towards the end of the book, zora also writes janie stating that there are two things everyone needs to do for themselves. one is to be able to go to god, and the other is to learn to love oneself. so, as

and we should also say, of course, that valerie edited the journals of alice walker, al spellman, and that book is out to it's amazing. she finished it before she departed. it is an amazing book. so so we can take a few questions. charlayne. and if you don't mind, tell us who you are when you stand up. see some of them as promised, spelman students out there. oh, do you have your hand up? we see, too. well, so let's put it right. yeah. so you you get a say so. yeah. come on. and us what you are you just say sorry. i've been very i raise their hand. hi, my name is lauren kay clark, class of 2010 spelman college compared, a women's studies major. so i studied under dr. beverly guy-sheftall women's research center was my home and i'm also a journalist. writer editor and researcher had been over in for over nine years back, back. but my question was, you know, when comes to journalism and the power of the media, from what i know, i mean, how i get a lot. can you hear now? yeah. okay. all right so when it comes to how even raise my voice when it comes to the media during apartheid it playe

and the only black female sports columnists, alice walker at a daily newspaper in north america, not just america now, but they clapping. but you were not happy? no. no, because that's embarrassing. like that's a big indictment of the profession i chose a part of. i was one out of four or five. and that's why one of the chapters is name that. so i get to the sentinel. i'm 28 years old. i have to figure out how to have a voice, how to, you know, structure, column things. because i hadn't been a columnist before. but anyway, when i was there, i created a series called writing with and in orlando, it was a different kind of sports town that that was accustomed to. when i was in detroit, they had all the major sports, you know, got the pistons, red wings, you know, tigers, lions. unfortunately, i said that from my heart. i knew she was gonna meet in lions last i just. i just said that her team is a 40 niners, by the way. that's right. but she rocked everything in detroit. but the lions, because i value my mental health. really. and that's why you got michigan. michigan state. you know, i