The world lost a major voice when Toni Morrison died last month in New York. With such powerful novels as Song of Solomon, Tar Baby and the Beloved trilogy, she did as much as any African-American writer to dismantle the virtual state of apartheid that was promulgated by the white, male literary establishment, revealing her heart and soul in works that were complex, humanistic and socially inspiring.

In director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders' new documentary, The Pieces That I Am, Angela Davis, Walter Mosely, Oprah Winfrey and others testify to the impact that Morrison had with her words and how her stories paralleled and inspired some of the changes in our still-divided society.

Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood; Wed., Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.; free. (310) 443-7000, hammer.ucla.edu.