Beloved: Ohio Celebrates Toni Morrison
On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, Ohio will officially launch Beloved: Ohio Celebrates Toni Morrison—a yearlong, statewide celebration honoring the life, work, and legacy of Toni Morrison—with a kickoff event at The Columbus Foundation. The celebration will open on Toni Morrison Day, Wednesday, Feb. 18, with a kickoff event at The Columbus Foundation at 5 p.m. featuring a conversation between Namwali Serpell and Hanif Abdurraqib. Inspired by Serpell’s new book On Morrison, the conversation will explore Morrison’s lasting influence and why her work continues to matter today. The kickoff event will be live-streamed, opening the conversation to audiences across Ohio and beyond. Register for the livestream at https://bit.ly/OhioCelebratesToniMorrisonKickoff. The Cleveland Kickoff — On Feb. 18, 2026 at 7 p.m. at Karamu House featuring readings and an open mic (this event follows the livestream of the Columbus event) About Toni Morrison and her Ohio Connections Born in Lorain, Ohio on February 18, 1931, Toni Morrison became the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature and a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize. Her eleven novels trace American history through the Black experience—from A Mercy in the 1680s to God Help the Child in the early 2000s—offering readers a journey through time and truth. Her debut novel, The Bluest […]
