Dr. Valerie Anne Johnson, Co-Director of Infrastructure and Development
Do you know what is significant about tomorrow, July 20, 2024? Those familiar with Octavia Butler and her incredibly visionary novel – Parable of the Sower – know the significance of this day.
Octavia Butler begins with the date July 20, 2024. When Parable of the Sower was published in 1993 it was considered a cautionary tale imagining what can unfold in our society if social injustice and environmental degradation continued unchecked. This is no longer cautionary but is our near reality. We sit on the precipice of Octavia Butler’s vision. She did not just warn us but gave us guidance within Parable of the Sower of how we can craft a better future than what she warned us of. The question is are we brave enough and bold enough to meet the challenge of crafting a better society and a better world for all our relations.
