Alice
Walker
Alice Malsenior Walker was born on
February 9, 1944 in Eatonton, Georgia, the eighth and youngest child of Minnie Tallulah
Grant Walker and Willie Lee Walker.Her mother's grandmother Tallulah was mostly Cherokee Indian. Alice is deeply proud of her cultural inheritances.
Her world traveling broadened her mind and happiness. Yet, all this turned to despair when back at university for her senior year Alice realized she was pregnant.
Frightened and not knowing how to tell her parents, Alice
considered committing suicide and even slept with a razor blade under her pillow for
several weeks. With the help of a classmate, Alice was able to have a safe abortion.
During her recovery from the depression and anxiety she had suffered, Alice wrote a short
story aptly titled "To Hell With Dying."
"Possessing the Secret of Joy" chronicles the psychic trauma of one woman's life
after forced genital mutilation. From:
Alice Walker Biography
Songs referenced:
Chickens get a taste of your meat