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“Recitatif” covers a span of history in the United States roughly from the mid-1950s to the early 1980s. Significant cultural changes occurred in the United States during this time, particularly the civil rights movement. Twyla and Roberta’s relationship is significant because it explores the impact of the larger cultural tides on their identities. Morrison frequently includes clues that tie the women’s identities to the racial, cultural, political, and socioeconomic experiences of the times. Roberta has huge hair and earrings and is on her way to see Jimi Hendrix, which places her squarely in the youth culture movement of the late 1960s. When reflecting on this time, Twyla and Roberta see the cultural landscape differently. Roberta sees the sixties as full of racial strife while Twyla sees the time as one of burgeoning racial harmony.

Another clue about the historical period is the racial strife that explodes in Newburgh over bussing students to different areas to promote integration at public schools. This is a real chapter in Newburgh’s history that occurred in the mid-1970s and caused the schools to be temporarily shut down. Bussing was upheld by the Supreme Court’s ruling Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. The initiative was meant to address inequality and diversity, and to close achievement and opportunity gaps. Though long-term results of the ruling have shown it to largely be a success, racial conflict erupted in many cities across the country. Morrison makes a significant statement about history with Twyla’s and Roberta’s mismatched accounts of the past. She posits that people often see significant events through their own personal lens and disregard the voiceless and oppressed who get caught in the crossfire.

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