Marita Golden
Encyclopedia
Marita Golden is an award-winning novelist, nonfiction writer, distinguished teacher of writing and co-founder of the Hurston/Wright Foundation, a national organization that serves as a resource center for African-American writers.
Marita Golden was born in Washington, D.C.
in 1950 and attended the city’s public schools. She received a B.A. in American Studies and English from American University
and a M.SC. in Journalism from Columbia University
. After graduating from Columbia, she worked in publishing
and began a career as a free-lance writer, writing feature articles for many magazines and newspapers including Essence Magazine, New York Times, and Washington Post.
Her first book, Migrations of the Heart, was based on her experiences coming of age during the 1960s and her political activism as well as her marriage to a Nigeria
n and her life in Nigeria where she lived for four years.
She has taught at many colleges and universities including the University of Lagos
in Lagos
Nigeria, Roxbury Community College
, Emerson College
, American University
, George Mason University
, and Virginia Commonwealth University
. She holds the position of Writer in Residence at the University of the District of Columbia
, in Washington, D.C. Previous Writer in Residence positions have been held at Brandeis University
, University of the District of Columbia
, Hampton University
, Simmons College
, Columbia College
, William and Mary
, Old Dominion University
and Howard University
.
As a literary activist, she co-founded the Washington, D.C. based African American Writers Guild, as well as the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation, which serves the national and international community of Black writers.
-“Ah just couldn’t see mahself married to no black man. It’s too many black folks already. We ought to lighten up the race” this quote from Their Eyes Were Watching God
opens Marita Golden’s book Don’t Play in the Sun, a memoir about her identification with the color complex. In this quote Mrs. Turner, a character in the novel, speaks the essence of the color complex, the more skin pigmentation African Americans have the more insignificant they are as a person. Golden uses the quote from There Eyes Were Watching God because it is similar to her mother telling her “…I’ve told you don’t play in the sun. You’re going to have to get a light-skinned husband for the sake of your children as it is” These two quotes are two similar concepts that come from the colorist ideology of African Americans. Colorism, color-conscious, color struck, color complex are all words describing this ideology. Golden uses color complex because the belief system is an exaggerated reaction to matters of the skin in which an entire culture of persons are preoccupy themselves with. Marita Golden explores how the color complex affected her personally and how it affects the African American culture as a whole.
Marita Golden was born in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1950 and attended the city’s public schools. She received a B.A. in American Studies and English from American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
and a M.SC. in Journalism from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. After graduating from Columbia, she worked in publishing
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
and began a career as a free-lance writer, writing feature articles for many magazines and newspapers including Essence Magazine, New York Times, and Washington Post.
Her first book, Migrations of the Heart, was based on her experiences coming of age during the 1960s and her political activism as well as her marriage to a Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n and her life in Nigeria where she lived for four years.
She has taught at many colleges and universities including the University of Lagos
University of Lagos
The University of Lagos - popularly known as Unilag - is a federal government university with a main campus located at Akoka, Yaba and a college of medicine located at Idi-Araba, all in Lagos, Lagos State, southern Nigeria...
in Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
Nigeria, Roxbury Community College
Roxbury Community College
Roxbury Community College is a community college in the Roxbury Crossing neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. RCC offers associate degrees in arts, and sciences, as well as certificates...
, Emerson College
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private coeducational university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of oratory," Emerson is "the only comprehensive college or university in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts...
, American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
, George Mason University
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
, and Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
. She holds the position of Writer in Residence at the University of the District of Columbia
University of the District of Columbia
The University of the District of Columbia is a historically black, public university located in Washington, D.C. UDC is one of only a few urban land-grant universities in the country and a member of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
, in Washington, D.C. Previous Writer in Residence positions have been held at Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
, University of the District of Columbia
University of the District of Columbia
The University of the District of Columbia is a historically black, public university located in Washington, D.C. UDC is one of only a few urban land-grant universities in the country and a member of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
, Hampton University
Hampton University
Hampton University is a historically black university located in Hampton, Virginia, United States. It was founded by black and white leaders of the American Missionary Association after the American Civil War to provide education to freedmen.-History:...
, Simmons College
Simmons College
Simmons College may refer to:*Simmons College of Kentucky, a historically black college in Louisville, Kentucky*Simmons College , a liberal arts college in Boston, Massachusetts...
, Columbia College
Columbia College
Columbia College may refer to one of several institutions of higher education in North America:In Canada* Columbia College , in Calgary* Columbia College , a two-year liberal arts institution in Vancouver...
, William and Mary
William and Mary
The phrase William and Mary usually refers to the coregency over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, of King William III & II and Queen Mary II...
, Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University is a state university located in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
and Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
.
As a literary activist, she co-founded the Washington, D.C. based African American Writers Guild, as well as the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation, which serves the national and international community of Black writers.
Nonfiction
- Migrations of the Heart
- Don’t Play in the Sun One Woman’s Journey Through The Color Complex
-“Ah just couldn’t see mahself married to no black man. It’s too many black folks already. We ought to lighten up the race” this quote from Their Eyes Were Watching God
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Their Eyes Were Watching God is a 1937 novel and the best-known work by African American writer Zora Neale Hurston. Set in central and southern Florida in the early 20th century, the novel garnered attention and controversy at the time of its publication, and has come to be regarded as a seminal...
opens Marita Golden’s book Don’t Play in the Sun, a memoir about her identification with the color complex. In this quote Mrs. Turner, a character in the novel, speaks the essence of the color complex, the more skin pigmentation African Americans have the more insignificant they are as a person. Golden uses the quote from There Eyes Were Watching God because it is similar to her mother telling her “…I’ve told you don’t play in the sun. You’re going to have to get a light-skinned husband for the sake of your children as it is” These two quotes are two similar concepts that come from the colorist ideology of African Americans. Colorism, color-conscious, color struck, color complex are all words describing this ideology. Golden uses color complex because the belief system is an exaggerated reaction to matters of the skin in which an entire culture of persons are preoccupy themselves with. Marita Golden explores how the color complex affected her personally and how it affects the African American culture as a whole.
- A Miracle Everyday: Triumph and Transformation in the Lives of Single Mothers
- Saving Our Sons Raising Black Children in a Turbulent World
Anthologies
- Skin Deep: Black and White Women on Race
- Gumbo A Celebration of African American Writing
- It’s All Love Black Writers on Soul Mates Family and Friends
Awards
- 2008 Maryland Author Award from the Association of Maryland Librarians
- 2007 Award for Fiction from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (for her novel AFTER)
- 2002 Distinguished Service Award from the Authors Guild
- 2001 Barnes and Noble Writers for Writers Award presented by Poets and Writers
- Inducted into the International Literary Hall of Fame of Writers of African Descent at the Gwendolyn Brooks Center at Chicago State University
- Honorary Doctorate from the University of Richmond
- Woman of the Year Award from Zeta Phi BetaZeta Phi BetaZeta Phi Beta is an international, historically black Greek-lettered sorority and a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.Zeta Phi Beta is organized into 800+ chapters, in eight intercontinental regions including the USA, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean...
- Distinguished Alumni Award from American University