Alice Walker In-depth Interview on The Color Purple (1987)

Ms. WALKER: Well, I would have said that I write out of what I know. And I write out of my experience and out of the experience of people that I have known. And I don't make up brutality. I don't make up violence because it's something that I like or it's something that I want to use to malign black people. But I write about it because it is a very strong reality in all of the communities on the planet. You know, violence is everywhere. It's not just black, it's not just white. And I think that I come -- I mean, I know that I come -- out of a tradition where you are supposed to say when you see something is wrong. You know, I came of age during the civil rights movement. And I think most of the black men who took part in that movement would definitely understand what I'm saying. I mean, I saw them confront white people who were abusive to us, you know? And so when they see that I am willing to confront black men who are abusive to us, they should be able to recognize it as the same violence and really to applaud it.