Clifton Taulbert, Author of 8 Habits of the Heart Speaks to 50 Community Members

Written by Tim Buckley, January 2023

Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Clifton Taulbert said it was Oregon’s former Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul DeMuniz (CBEL Collaborative Chairman) who he credits for becoming a writer. The two first at a US Airforce basic training camp in 1966, became lifelong friends, and served as Best Man at each other’s weddings. They met again last month as part of CBEL’s quarterly Perspectives seminars.

Taulbert’s early writings were hand-written journals about early influences on his life, growing up in segregated Mississippi in the 1940s and ‘50s “I hadn’t shown my journals to anybody, but I trusted Paul and he was interested,” Taulbert said. “After I showed him, Paul said, ‘Clifton, you’re a very good writer! You ought to get this published somewhere.’”

Taulbert has written 16 books including the Pulitzer Prize nominee The Last Train North, and Once Upon a Time…When We Were Colored, which was made into a major motion picture in 1996, starring Richard Roundtree and Phylicia Rashad. Film critics Siskel and Ebert gave the film “Two Thumbs Up” and Ebert said, “Rarely has a film more movingly shown how people who work, live and pray together can find a common strength and self-respect.”

But it was a more recent book – Eight Habits of the Heart - that stimulated Taulbert address to a group of more than 50 local residents and leaders gathered for the CBEL Perspectives event online.

Since CBEL’s goal is to create community resilience - through civic engagement, interconnected systems, and equity - it seems that the core of Taulbert’s work addresses each of those.

“All over the world, we sometimes stop and ponder our human journey and the role that each of us play in making this journey the best one possible,” Taulbert said. “In so doing, we have to first look at ourselves and do an inventory of how we have embraced the opportunities of creating and sustaining good relationships along the way. Building community is our commitment to an inclusive and collaborative culture. The culture we create and the way we think are essential for success….” he added.

The eight habits are laid out in short chapters, written in what Taulbert describes as plainspoken "front-porch wisdom," rooted in his Southern upbringing. He said his elders ignored the boundaries of legal segregation and embarked on a campaign to foster a community that embraced the dreams and successes of each child and family.  Again, a mirror image of CBEL’s mission.

CBEL offers four Perspective events each year. Taulbert’s memorable presentation joins others from 2022, all of which have helped create a more accurate narrative of Salem’s past, as well as a spotlight on where an equitable future may lead. "The past is never dead. It's not even past,” wrote another Southern author, William Faulkner. Taulbert’s list of habits, starting with hope, seem to support that idea. Building resilience and equity, whether for ourselves, our neighborhood, or our country, depend on each of us taking these lessons to heart.

For more about Clifton Taulbert and a complete list of his books, visit his website at Clifton L Taulbert