even as they lead deeper with homo sapiens and given stories where survival may not be victory and cruelty can reveal itself of the ultimate tenderness. it's not a country and in the midst of those toni morrison woman mother editor, writer, critic, nobel laureate, professor, mentor, fr. shies all the more fiercely thank you for your life's work, past and present and future may you keep on shining. i present toni morrison. [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] [laughter] >> hello. rita, that was beautiful. [applause] that was beautiful. and true. [laughter] i was sitting there thinking i don't think i can follow that. thank you. it is good to see you. well, here i am. the founding of the national book critics circle in the early seventies was a singular idea. it was not only unique but welcome with the wild faculty dedicated to books and scrutiny to reward the best. and in years past and this organization became more than unique that you necessary - - necessary. for writers everywhere. it's more than unique and more than necessary. i think it's urgent. and facing new kinds of distribu

so that turned out to work out well for homo sapiens, at least so far.w when you get into the corporate boardroom today or you are talking to the ceo, shanghai, beijing, paris, rome, londndon, nenew york, san franc, ththe top of the ceo's a agendas this thihing called digital transformation. there is a mandate to digitally transform. and it is something critically important, and it is existential. and i spent a lot of time thinking about this. like, whatat is going on here? informationhe technology industry, and this is a very rapidly growing space. in that space, we are seeing some new vectors in the 21st century y that are changingg everything. these include elastic c cloud computining, big data, the internet of things and this phenomenon we call artificial intelligence. at the confluence of these vacuums, you find digital transformation. so now you ask, why are people so focused on digital transfer made?? well, just like in the natural world, in the corporate world in the 21st centutury, we are going to a mass extinction event. 52% of the fortune 500

homo sapiens at least so far. now when you get into the corporate boardroom today- you talk to the ceo. n. e. i. shanghai beijing paris rome london new york san francisisco. the ceo te topf the ceo's agendnda. is this thing called digital try ask. there's a man. to do usually transfer. and it's something critically important as fast you ex existentialist. and i spent a lot o of time thinking about this in in you know like what is going on here. so i am of course in the information technology industry this is a very rapidly growing space. and that space we're seeieing. some new vectors in te twenty first century that are changing everything. and these include. elasticic cloud computing big data the internet of things in this phenomenon that we call artificial. intelligence and at the confluence of these factors you find digital transformations and i. you ask why. are people so focused and digital transformation. well just like in the naturural world.. in the corporatee w world and fouour ie twenty firstst century w

world put together and those associated with skin variation and pigmentation is way before we were homo sapiens. so i will finish right now it is an integral part of the 18th and 19th century but the trajectory is something to celebrate because those genetics is one subject completely has that concept of race in a way no other academic or human endeavor has done. it is real as a racial construct because we enacted but neither have a foundation. but as has happened so often in history to support that racist ideology you cannot have my tools to justify your bigotry. that's fine you have a fight on your hands from people like me but you cannot use my tools to justify your bigotry. i will quote from angela davis scientists have been too quiet for too long and it is a weapon in the ways that i have described tonight any racist society it is not enough you have to be antiracist. thank you for listening. >> thank you adam. we will head to audience q&a. go to the way you can click on the website with an autographed bookplate. so for the first question during the discussion of jesse owens we are general

it's where homo sapiens have evolved is a very special place in the book. the first thing i'm just trying to do is to show that the degradation of natural environment and the killing of species and the rest of extinction are not being carried out by evil peoplewho hate nature . it's often being carried out by people that are desperately poor, poor in ways that young people who are alarmed by polar bears and plastic straws have no understanding of. and you i don't understand it because you go to those places so the first thing i want to do is ring my kids and kids my daughter's age 14 or 15 or 16, writing simple stories of characters and show what their struggles are. you see in the amazon chapter i just object to this kind of elitist literally looking down flying over the amazon condemning the people on the ground for what they're doing . these are desperately poor people. i lived in communities of former slaves or the children of former slaves. the descendents of former slaves from brazil. i point out that there certainly we would all like to, all things b