Alice Walker: Author and Social Activist (Signature Lives: Modern America)

Born in 1944 in the segregated South, Alice Walker grew up to be a leading voice for African-Americans. A writer and political activist, she addresses issues of race, gender, and violence in her novels, essays, poems, and stories. Her 1983 novel, The Color Purple, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, marking the first time an African-American woman received that honor. She continues to speak and write about the experiences of black women in the United States and social injustices throughout the world.