
Donna Akiba Harper, Ph.D.
Donna Akiba Harper, Ph.D., Fuller E. Callaway professor of English: “Having heard Alice Walker talk many times in the past 30-plus years, I must say that the visit with my class was truly unforgettable. … My class had read her first novel, “The Third Life of Grange Copeland,” had viewed the recent documentary on her life (Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth), and had viewed her website, www.alicewalkersgarden.com.
Students had also read a 1970 interview John O’Brien conducted with her shortly after “The Third Life of Grange Copeland” was published.
“Many of their questions related to what they had read or seen, but other questions were quite personal, asking about what kind of self-care allowed her to be an activist and asking about how they should respond to challenging situations they were experiencing. Sister Alice literally leaned in, probing some of their statements. She appeared to be completely invested in them, wanting to share openly about herself, but she also wanted to know exactly what they were saying.”