Black History Month October 2015: Audre Lorde

AUDRE LORDE

Self-described "black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet" Audre Lorde challenged Concerned with modern society’s tendency to categorize groups of people, Lorde fought the marginalization of such categories as “lesbian” and “black woman,” thereby empowering her readers to react to the prejudice in their own lives.Concerned with modern society’s tendency to categorize groups of people, Lorde fought the marginalization of such categories as “lesbian” and “black woman,” thereby empowering her readers to react to the prejudice in their own lives.Concerned with modern society’s tendency to categorize groups of people, Lorde fought the marginalization of such categories as “lesbian” and “black woman,” thereby empowering her readers to react to the prejudice in their own lives.Concerned with modern society’s tendency to categorize groups of people, Lorde fought the marginalization of such categories as “lesbian” and “black woman,” thereby empowering her readers to react to the prejudice in their own lives.the persecution of marginalised groups in her poetry and activist work.  Born in New York to West-Indian immigrant parents, Lorde encouraged the coalition of oppressed groups, and spoke fervently on the struggle for emancipation amongst persecuted people. She advocated the concept of “intersectionality,” challenging her readers to respond to their own experiences of prejudice. 

Lorde was noted for her work in the documentary film entitled “Audrey Lorde: The Berlin Years 1984-1992.”  At a time of political and social change in Germany, Lorde encouraged the voice of Afro-German women, inspiring them to share their history and experiences, challenge the German view on marginalised groups in society, and create a dialogue between black and white German women.

Lorde’s international recognition afforded her many prestigious honours and awards but alongside critical acclaim, she was chastised by those who thought her ideas radical and extreme.  Facing difficulty, Lorde remained resolute, refusing to be intimidated.  Tragically, Lorde was diagnosed with breast cancer and died in 1992 at age 58.  However, her ideals and influence very heavily remain today.

Her works include:

·         A Burst Of Light

·         The Black Unicorn

·         Between Ourselves

·         Cables To Rage

·         The Cancer Journals

·         The First Cities

·         From A Land Where Other People Live

·         I Am Your Sister: Black Women Organizing Across Sexualities

·         Lesbian Party: An Anthology

·         Need: A Chorale For Black Women Voices

·         The New York Head Shop And Museum

·         Our Dead Behind Us: Poems

·         Sister Outsider: Essays And Speeches

·         The Marvelous Arithmetics Of Distance: Poems

·         Undersong: Chosen Poems Old And New

·         Uses Of The Erotic: The Erotic As Power

·         Woman Poet—The East

·         Zami: A New Spelling of My Name