About the Journal's Name

The Journal’s name comes from Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s poem “Aunt Chloe’s Politics.” The poem begins, “Of course, I don’t know very much / About these politics, / But I think that some who run ’em / Do mighty ugly tricks.” She is a woman with no formal education, but plenty of sense. Similarly, there is the woman now known as Toni Morrison, born Chloe Anthony Wofford, a woman accomplished in both “book learning” and sensibleness. These women represent two distinct, yet united perspectives. To each, truth—in the way of factuality and candor—is of the utmost importance. Toni Morrison has said that she would rather die than betray her humanity. Aunt Chloe, a close ancestor, would surely agree.