Alice Walker talks about her relationship with Tracy Chapman in "Beauty in Truth"

PBS premiered "Beauty in Truth" a portrait of Alice Walker by Pratibha Parmar on February 7, 2014. In this documentary Alice Walker openly talks about her love affair with Tracy Chapman.

Extract from DivaMag interview of Pratibha Parmar

It's quite a big deal to open your life up to a filmmaker, even if you are good friends. Was she prepared to talk about her sexuality? About her relationship with Tracy Chapman?
Yes, she did have a very high profile relationship with Tracy Chapman, so there's always this incredible curiosity about Alice's sexuality, and I do interview her about it in the film. She's very open about the other women she's had relationships with, as well as the relationship with Tracy. I think that's just her honesty and respect for people she loves and has loved.

Does Alice Walker ID as bisexual?
No, she won't label herself. She refuses. She says, "I'm curious. I'm open to the spirit of a person whether that's a man or a woman or whoever, that's not what's important to me. What's important is the spirit". Having looked at her life and all that she's done and having seen her in relationships with women and men, I think she's absolutely true to herself and open to whoever rings her bell.

Reactions to the Documentary on Twitter

I wanted Alice Walker and Tracy Chapman to be together forever, but that was my own selfishness. #AmericanMasters #AliceWalker
— Anti_Intellect (@Anti_Intellect) 8 Février 2014

Alice's relationship w Tracy Chapman and their openness about it did a lot to diversify the image of a lesbian couple #BeautyInTruth

— Eryk Monáe (@R_BruhBruh) 8 Février 2014

Watch the Trailer of "Beauty in Truth" by Pratibha Parmar

Synopsis of "Beauty in Truth" by Pratibha Parmar

American Masters — Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth charts Walker’s inspiring journey from her birth into a family of sharecroppers in Eatonton, Georgia, to the present. The film explores Walker’s relationship with her mother, poverty, and participation in the Civil Rights Movement, which were the formative influences on her consciousness and became the inherent themes in her writing. Living through the violent racism and seismic social changes of mid-20th century America, Walker overcame adversity to achieve international recognition as one of the most influential — and controversial — writers of the 20th century.