Lorain Public Library System honors Toni Morrison poster contest winners

LORAIN — The Lorain Public Library System held its fifth annual Toni Morrison poster contest, honoring its winners Saturday morning. The contest invited K-12 students throughout Lorain County to reflect on some of the Nobel Laureate's works through the visual arts, with the first-place winners in each age category on display in the Main Branch's Toni Morrison Reading Room for the next year. Librarian and contest organizer Cheri Campbell spoke briefly about Lorain's famous native daughter before she and judge Gloria Buxton handed out the awards. "She was the greatest author of literature," Campbell said. "We'll probably have some arguments about — Mark Twain might have some opinions, William Faulkner, you know, the guys. But Toni was one of us. She was born here, raised here, walked these streets." Morrison, born Chloe Wofford on Feb. 18, 1931, she grew up in Lorain during the Great Depression. Her family bounced between rental homes, including one where their landlord allegedly set fire to the property when they were late on rent, Campbell said. She, and her sister, worked at the Lorain Public Library when it was in the Carnegie Center on West 10th Street. Morrison graduated from Lorain High School in 1949 and later attended Howard and Cornell universities. Morrison's first novel, "The Bluest Eye," is set in Lorain. "They're part of Lorain," Campbell said. "(Morrison) came back every year … she'd send her children here to hang out with her family in the summers and also so she could get work done … She did all the things but ultimately she was one of us. She used her gifts." Morrison was a patron of the arts, with both her sons becoming artists in their own right. Gloria Buxton, a retired educator and one of four judges for the poster contest, thanked students for participating in this year's contest. She also highlighted plans for a mural honoring Morrison on one of her relatives' businesses in Lorain later this year. This year's contest winners were: Randi-Chanel Seymore, from Oberlin Elementary, took first place in the K-5 category. Amelia Butler and Evelyn Rutland, both Oberlin Elementary students, took second-place for a jointly created poster in the K-5 category. Cadence Adkins, from Oberlin Elementary, took third place in the K-5 category. Auriangely Feliciano, from Southview Middle School, took first place in the middle school category. Jocelyn Fred, from Longfellow Middle School, took second place in the middle school category. Damareon Winborn, from Longfellow Middle School, took third place in the middle school category. Betty Darnell, from Avon High School, took first place in the high school category. Celebrations honoring Morrison for the next year kick off Feb. 18 in Columbus and will end in Lorain on Feb. 18, 2027, with events spread throughout the state in between as part of Ohio's America 250 celebration. "It's just going to be a very exciting time," Campbell said of the yearlong event. "And we just keep celebrating in this time of tough things, it's good to celebrate what we do, our creations, our artwork." The Lorain Public Library System will livestream Tuesday's event from Columbus at 6 p.m. in the Toni Morrison Reading Room. The celebrations through 2026 will connect to additional events in 2031 in honor of Morrison's 100th birthday. For more information on upcoming events, visit ohiocelebratestonimorrison.org. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.