Tayari's Blog: Do NOT Ask if She is Qualified, Okay?

Posted by TayariJones on December 21, 2008 08:31 AM
Filed under Current Events

There's a piece in the NYT today about Elizabeth Alexander who will deliver a poem at the inauguration of Barak Obama.The article is meant to be positive-- there's a terrific photo of her and the quotes are all generous and Ms. Alexander gives perfect praise to the late great Gwendolyn Brooks. But still, I am so irritated that so much of the article-- and general discussion-- is about whether or not she deserves it. Elizabeth Alexander's credentials are impeccable. But still, she actually has to answer to whether or not she is qualiified. For me, the kicker is when Paul Muldoon, the poetry editor of the New Yorker, more of less vouches for her saying that she was chosen for "literary merit." Well, duh. Of course she was. Thank goodness Mr. Muldoon did the right thing, unlike some other people who write in the New Yorker, but the questioning itself breaks my heart.

[divider]

There are 1 comments on "Do NOT Ask if She is Qualified, Okay?". If you'd like to leave a comment, click here to jump down to the comments entry form.

Comment #1, by carleen [TypeKey Profile Page]

These kinds of questions do break my heart, as they did when Michelle Obama had to prove that she was human and not "angry" or "scary." So too did the type of conversation I had with some readers of the Washington Post. I don't blame you a bit for feeling queasy. I've been feeling sick to my stomach since the piece was published. It's impossible to make all the points one wants to make in an essay like that, and quite a lot of my argument was cut for space (which I do not blame the Post for-I understand space issues), so there's much left unsaid. And even with all the space in the world I didn't write the piece believing I had any answers, really, as much as trying to raise awareness about the questions.

December 22, 2008 03:59 PM

Your Comments

You are signed in as (sign out)

Please keep comments relevant to the topic. Inappropriate and offensive comments may be edited and/or removed without warning. Comments found on this site don't necessarily reflect the views of Tayari Jones.

(optional)

(required)