How can a novel address issues of race and gender and also be universal?

The Toni Morrison quote from Ms. Maxey truly made me think about how issues of race and gender are portrayed by the media and through art. Often times, when a person of one race is portraying the life experiences of a person belonging to another race, there is always more explanation than emotion. This is because the person lacks personal experience and therefore lacks a source of genuine emotion towards the subject. For example, even if a white person tries to empathize with a black person over the topic of racial bias and discrimination in America, they will never be able to entirely understand and feel the weight of the topic because they lack the emotional awareness necessary. As Morrison said, "the black writers always explained something to somebody else," because they thought that the audience would not be able to understand the black experience otherwise. Similarly, white authors writing about the lives of African Americans are explanatory and apologetic. Due to this, the topic of racial issues can polarize the audience of a novel. Nonetheless, Toni Morrison is still able to grasp and explain topics of race because she simply hones in on her writing and the story without direct explanation or apology. However, the way groups experience her writing differs. Members of Morrison's audience from the black community are able to feel the weight of the issues discussed; other races represented in her audience are simply there to appreciate Morrison's writing, to learn, and to listen to the stories in order to further their understanding of racial issues. While the way Morrison's writing style addresses issues of race in America technically allows her to reach a universal audience, the way that one group understands the topics will greatly differ from the comprehension and emotional response of another group.