Audre lorde to black for the gay spaces

Beyond Shorelines Audre Lorde

Privacy Copyright. Audre Lorde, a self-described 'Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,' was an eminent figure in American literature and activism. Lorde has spoken to and incited many women from various backgrounds; however, her influence has extended most readily to the black lesbian community.

Even though Lorde has died, her words continue to live in these women's voices. In her work, Jewelle Gomez tackles issues of multiple identities and both the threat and liberation of self-exposure. Author Denise L. Semester of Degree Completion Audre Lorde was a Black lesbian scholar, feminist, mother, and poet who challenged us to think about the intersectionality of politics and identity.

Mapping Possibilities The Poetics

Born on 18 February,in New York City, Lorde dedicated her life to the pursuit of social justice, championing intersectionality, and advocating for the equity of marginalised communities. In her poetry and prose, Lorde challenged the myths and taboos associated with black women, lesbians, and feminists.

When Wiley painted Barack Obama's official presidential portrait, he was asserting Black excellence in spaces historically reserved for whiteness, continuing the work of claiming dignity that began with Lorde's poetry. Advanced Search. Countless women from the black community of writers have paid tribute to Lorde, both before and after her death, for aiding them in breaking the internal and external silences that stem from multiple oppression.

Lorde’s relationships with and orientations to many women across the globe were represented in both Ada Gay Griffin and Michelle Parkerson’s Litany for Survival: The Life and Work of Audre Lorde () and Dagmar Schultz’s Audre Lorde: The Berlin Years, ().

In "Clearing a space for us," Rushin acknowledges the black lesbian community that Lorde has established for all black lesbians: "Audre made a space, cleared a space for us that has never existed before We've been blessed to have her imprint on our lives" As evidenced by both their personal and political writing, Gomez, Clarke, and Rushin pay homage to Lorde for breaking ground for them, and thereby allowing them to embrace visibility and resist silence.

In naming herself, Lorde urged others to do the same — to fight the self-imposed and socially-imposed silence surrounding triple oppression. Cheryl Clarke, who echoes Lorde's message that speech is a powerful tool for liberation, follows Lorde in speaking about and reclaiming the lesbian erotic as a positive, life-giving force.

And finally, Kate Rushin, while focusing on the conflicts of triple oppression, writes of the importance of community as a necessary means of support and validation. Inspired by Lorde's life and work, these women challenge through their poetry and prose the conflicts associated with triple oppression.

Fitzer, Denise L. Masters Theses. For Kaila Adia Story, associate professor and Audre Lorde Endowed Chair at the University of Louisville and co-creator, co-producer and co-host of award-winning podcast “Strange Fruit: Musings on Politics, Pop Culture, and Black Gay Life,” Lorde’s multifaceted writing embodies why today’s movements for justice are tied together.

In Gomez's, Clarke's, and Rushin's poetry and essays, the effects of Lorde's words and teaching can be seen and heard through their personal, emotional, and political exhalations. Lorde's far-reaching impact is illustrated in the works of black lesbians Jewelle Gomez, Cheryl Clarke, and Kate Rushin.

Audre Lorde, who named herself black, feminist, lesbian, mother, poet, and activist, was a pioneer for black lesbians everywhere. Although the style of writing that Gomez, Clarke, and Rushin employ is quite different from both that of Lorde's and each other's, the images and issues that they present are very similar.

Although her work focused on a broad range of topics that illuminated her many identities, she concentrated most heavily on issues of multiple oppression and its resulting fear and silence. Denise L. FitzerEastern Illinois University.