Blog: The Controversy Surrounding Color Purple Novelist Alice Walker
The Color Purple is an open-hearted musical whose message is that love and respect are what connect us as humans. Signature wholly believes in this message and in the stories of Celie, Shug, Sofia and the other Black women owning their strength and dignity. The musical was written by Marsha Norman, Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray and is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the novel’s 1985 film adaptation, directed by Steven Spielberg. Recently, Alice Walker has been accused of expressing some disturbing anti-Semitic views, and much has been written about the complexity of these allegations alongside Walker’s denials. Signature condemns hate of any kind. We also believe that the musical’s powerful themes of acceptance, hope and redemption are more important in today’s world than ever before.
Below, please find links to some online resources for those who want to read more about this:
The Alice Walker Anti-Semitism Controversy, Explained by Constance Grady (Vox)
The New York Times Just Published an Unqualified Recommendation for an Insanely Anti-Semitic Book by Yair Rosenberg (Tablet)
What The New Yorker Didn’t Say About a Famous Writer’s Anti-Semitism by Caitlin Flanagan (The Atlantic)
Don’t Cancel Alice Walker. Hold Her Accountable. by Yair Rosenberg (The Atlantic)
Alice Walker is Not an Anti-Semite by Elisheva Goldberg (The Daily Beast)
Alice Walker Has ‘No Regrets’ by Elizabeth A. Harris (The New York Times)
Black White and Jewish by Rebecca Walker