O.J. Simpson, “Dead Man Golfing”
As part of a multi-author collection of essays written about the O.J. Simpson murder trial, Morrison contributed an essay which served as an introduction. Drawing an analogy with Melville’s Benito Cereno, Morrison presents Simpson as a person whose previously positive image was purposely skewed by a variety of sources so that he was transformed into the monster presiding over a circus presentation in a courtroom.
Bill Clinton, “Clinton as the First Black President”
Despite what initial conceptions may be stimulated by the title, this essay is not an attempt to characterize Clinton as a President who is “black” by virtue of an agenda and policies directed toward improving the state of being an African-American. What makes Clinton “black” is instead personal rather than political. Morrison decries the overly melodramatic response to the Lewinsky scandal by situating the white male head of state within a shared black male experience, one “experiencing a degradation that black men can relate to: that is, no matter how capable he is, no matter how far he has come, he will be put back in his place by other powers.”
John and Ardelia Wofford
John and Ardelia are the familial relations mentioned in the title of the essay, “A Slow Walk of Trees (as Grandmother Would Say) Hopeless (as Grandfather Would Say).” The essay is about the state of being black in America in 1974 relative to predictions on the subject made by the author’s grandparents. John’s vision of the future for blacks is bleak due to his own bleak experiences. Ardelia takes a more optimistic view guided by her faith and slow progress which she has already witnessed.
Little Black Sambo, “Rediscovering Black History”
This essay is an analysis of the consequences of a movement at the time—the early seventies—to deal with offensive black cultural stereotypes by censoring, banning or removing them from public view and consumption. Examples range from black lawn jockeys on display in a Chicago hotel and reruns of the 1950’s TV show Amos ‘n Andy. For Morrison, however, the central symbol of what she views as a misguided and ultimately self-defeating movement are the books featuring Little Black Sambo. While recognizing the racism inherent in white adoption of the characters, she also insists that Sambo was “the only joyful, non-caricatured black children's story in print.” Rather than wholeheartedly excising such figures from history, Morrison argues in favor of co-opting the stereotype to reveal the positive qualities associated with them.
Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas, “Friday on the Potomac”
This essay is another example of Morrison being given the honor of introducing a collection of pieces written by various authors upon a single topic with her own unique perspective on the issue at hand. Rather than focusing on the controversial Supreme Court nomination hearings of Clarence Thomas from either a political or gender-based viewpoint which creates an opposition dynamic, Morrison accomplishes the rare feat of fusing the experiences of accuser and accused into one equally shared. Her essay considers both Hill and Thomas in terms of being victimized by the white power structure holding, guiding and covering their showdown before Congress. Ultimately, she argues, both Hill and Thomas were reduced to racial stereotypes fueled by a perversely voyeuristic enjoyment of the spectacle as entertainment production.
