In the small community Alice grew up in, there was a road being built by convicts. There was also a spring near her house, so Alice's parents would give her and her siblings a pail and a dipper and tell them to provide water to those men. Many years later, she understood the teaching behind that action: to not fear each other, regardless of how rough they were looking. 

Alice Walker is a prolific and internationally celebrated writer, poet, and activist. She is the author of seven novels, four collections of short stories, and six children's books, including her latest "There are sweet people everywhere." She won the Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 1983 and the National Book Award for the exquisite novel, "The color purple." She also wrote several bestselling books, like "Possessing the secret of joy," "The temple of my familiar," and "We are the ones we've been waiting for," to name a few. 

Her work has been translated into two dozen languages and sold over 15 million copies. Alice has been an activist her entire life and is a staunch defender not only of human life but all living creatures. 

In this episode, we get to know bits of Alice's past, and relationship with her siblings, parents, and grandparents. We talk about her perception of oppression and racism growing up, and her vision for the future. We also talk about white people's purposeful lack of memory about racist acts that legitimate them and strip Black people from their humanity, turning them demonic at the same time, and much more. 

Tune in to episode 3 and grasp some of the golden nuggets Alice selflessly gifted us with.

Some Questions I Ask:

Who was little Alice, and what was she like? (6:28)

Tell me about what you played as a child; what kind of games did you play as a girl? (12:15)

When you were a girl, what was your first experience of racism? (23:09)

What is the contribution we should be making toward that future? (34:28)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

Complicated souls tend to talk little (7:56)

The spring and the road being built. About Alice's parents teaching (10:24)

About white people's lack of desire to remember and the dehumanization of Black folks (18:25)

The price the first Black kids to be schooled with white people paid (28:21)

Some words from Alice to little Alice (46:38)

Resources:

Alice Walker website

Book: Alice Walker - The Color Purple

Book: Alice Walker - Sweet People Are Everywhere

Book: Mary Trump - The Reckoning

Book: Rupa Marya & Raj Patel - Inflamed

Film: Yemanja: Wisdom from the African Heart of Brazil. Narrator, Alice Walker

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