Chloe Anthony Wofford — Toni Morrison — was born on February 18, 1931, in Lorain, Ohio, a racially mixed Midwestern steel town of around 75,000 that — like the settings of most of her novels — was "neither ghetto nor plantation." She was the second of four children born to George Wofford, a laborer, and Ramah (Willis) Wofford, a homemaker whose name, according to Morrison, was "picked blind" from a page in the Bible. Morrison's parents taught her to believe in herself and not let external events control her life. Growing up during a time marked by overt racism and open hostility toward blacks, Morrison learned early on that in order to survive, she had to develop a strong character and create her own life. She also learned the value of being part of a loving, supportive family and community, the futility and self-destructiveness of hatred, and the healing power of music.
After graduating from Lorain High School with honors, Morrison moved to Washington, D.C., to attend Howard University, where one of her professors was Alain Locke, a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance. While at Howard, she began writing short stories and changed her name to Toni. Much of the African-American literature she encountered while at Howard left her, in her own words, "bereft" since it seemed to be written to someone other than herself or the black people whom she knew. Consequently, she resolved to write books that focused on "black people . . . talking to black people."
In 1953, Morrison began graduate work at Cornell University. Two years later, she received a master's degree in English, with a minor in classics. As part of her degree requirements, she wrote her thesis on the theme of suicide in the works of William Faulkner and Virginia Woolf.
