Staff of Friends General Conference have conceived God is Within Her: Quakers Experience The Color Purple as a resource for Friends to explore their own spirituality via an important piece of literature, in community with their local meetings, newcomers, seekers, and the wider Quaker community, whether affiliated with Friends General Conference or other Quaker bodies. On Thursday, December 14, at 8:00 p.m., nova george and a special guest will lead a discussion of the book. You can register here: https://www.tfaforms.com/5094072
The Color Purple is a novel by Alice Walker first published in 1982. It is the story of Celie, a Black teenaged girl in the deep South in the early 1900s. She is the target of childhood sexual and physical abuse and is eventually separated from her sister Nettie by an abusive husband, known as Mr. _____. This book is known as an epistolary novel, which means it is told in a series of letters between Celie and God, as well as other characters in the story.
After winning the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction in 1983, The Color Purple was adapted into a film directed by Steven Spielberg and distributed by Warner Brothers in 1985. The book was again adapted, this time into a Broadway musical, debuting in 2005. A 2016 revival of “The Color Purple” musical won two Tony Awards.
In seeking an appropriate theme for this activity, FGC staff wanted to find sacred text which speaks to our condition as a community as well as the condition of the characters of The Color Purple. Indeed, Alice Walker has identified The Color Purple as a novel that is very much about the discovery of God. In the musical version, Shug Avery sings
God is inside you and everyone else
That was or ever will be.
We come into this world with god.
But only them who look inside find it.
This song echoes George Fox’s idea that we are to answer “that of God in everyone,” an idea that has become a foundational value of the Quaker faith. By choosing “God is within her” as our theme, we are reminded of Celie’s lifelong journey to understanding the nature of God, despite her personal and societal adversities.
Although in greater context, one understands that Psalm 46 refers not to an individual woman but to the City of God broadly, many have adapted the scripture to be one of empowerment for women, or the sisterhood of all women. However, Friends are welcome to consider what the City of God means to them as Quakers.
Finally, the second part of the theme is Quakers Experience The Color Purple. We are interested not just in reading a book, but connecting the book to our lives as Friends in community with one another and the world. This exercise involves reading, connecting, communicating, and fellowship in ways that make sense for the individual and local community.
These resources may be helpful:
- The Color Purple deals with sexuality, sexual assault, racism, immigration, and other topics that should be handled with care and thoughtfulness. It is advisable to adopt a method for identifying and addressing unintentional or intentional harm that could occur in this space.
- Racial Wounding and Racial Justice in Quaker Communities: https://www.fgcquaker.org/fgcresources/practical/racial-wounding-and-racial-justice-in-quaker-communities/
- Oops & Ouch! A way to manage difficult conversations: https://faithbeliefforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Oops-and-Ouch_Primary_v1.pdf
- Questions Specific to The Color Purple [Colorado Book Club Resource]: https://www.fgcquaker.org/fgcresources/practical/racial-wounding-and-racial-justice-in-quaker-communities/
