Photo credit: seeks2dream

I saw the national touring production of Oprah Winfrey’s The Color Purple on Sunday night in Los Angeles. Incredible! It’s been twenty years since I saw the movie version, which I hardly remember. But I was blown away by how the story line illustrates a striking contrast between visibility and invisibility. 

The main character, Celie, bares her second child at the age of fourteen after being raped multiple times by her step-father. Shortly thereafter, her step-father hands Celie over to a local farmer who continues the abuse for many years.

Celie had the life sucked out of her by these abusive men and she simply accepted her fate of being nothing more than a door mat. Even when Celie befriends Sofia, a strong, independent, and won’t-take-no-crap woman who demonstrates (sometimes with physical violence) how she takes care of herself and gets what she wants, Celie is still unable to find her own courage and power.

Many years later, Celie is finally fed up with decades of abuse, and she takes charge of her life. By finally embracing her courage and the knowledge that she controls the choices she makes, she becomes worthy of living a fulfilled life. Many wonderful things happen in Celie’s life, and Celie even handles the setbacks with positivity and grace. 

Near the end of the show, I could barely contain my emotions when Celie sang these words that capture her transformation from invisible to visible:

“I believe I have inside of me
everything that I need to live a bountiful life.
With all the love alive in me
I’ll stand as tall as the tallest tree.
And I’m
thankful for everyday that I’m given,
both the easy and hard ones I’m livin’.
But most of all
I’m thankful for
loving who I really am.
I’m beautiful.
Yes, I’m beautiful,
and I’m here.”

Go see the touring Broadway show, read the book, listen to the Broadway cast recording, or watch the movie. I bet you’ll be inspired.

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