Only Toni Morrison, who died this past August, could unite figures as wide ranging as Oprah Winfrey, David Remnick, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Angela Davis, Fran Lebowitz, and Michael Ondaatje, all of whom plan to speak at Morrison’s memorial. Winner of a Pulitzer and Nobel, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Morrison united readers with prose that was at once specific to her experience and universally relatable. “The function of freedom is to free someone else,” Morrison said in her 1979 commencement speech at Barnard. Morrison found freedom through her writing and in turn helped other people find freedom. Even in death, she stays true to her cause—the memorial is free to the public. —J.V.

Service begins at 4pm and is open to the public.