By Copy Editor~ Emma Myers
Photo of Audre Lorde retrieved from Poetry Foundation
Arts have historically had a significant impact on civil rights movements.
Throughout history, humans have used various forms of artistic expression to verbalize or express emotions in all of their complexities.
One of the most influential contemporary poets to have an impact in social justice causes is a brave woman who would describe herself as a “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet”, Audre Lorde.
Lorde was a poetry and prose writer who used her works to advocate for social and political change. She was born on Feb. 18, 1934, in New York City.
It was there she attended Hunter College, and published her first poem in Seventeen Magazine. She went on to graduate from Hunter College with a BA, and later with an MLS from Columbia University.
She worked as a public librarian in the 1960s, but was most passionate about her art.
Lorde is quoted as saying, “Poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundations for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before.”
She wrote many poems throughout her career, like “To The Poet Who Happens to Be Black and The Black Poet Who Happens to Be a Woman”, “A Poem for Women in Rage”, “Fishing the White Water” and more.
In general, her works beautifully encapsulates the experiences that come with being a marginalized member of society, especially within the 1960s; however, her works have proven to withstand the test of time, and remain just within their causes, and relevant within their messages.
Lorde was also acclaimed for her prose writing, most notably “The Cancer Journals”, published in 1980. In “The Cancer Journals”, Lorde details her experiences with her breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent mastectomy.
While there are many fascinating aspects of Lorde’s life, I believe her essence is most adequately summed up throughout her works. She is abundantly transparent in everything that she writes, which makes her one of the most influential figures in contemporary literature.
In her own words, “But the question is a matter of the survival and the teaching. That’s what our work comes down to. No matter where we key into it, it’s the same work, just different pieces of ourselves doing it.”
To read more of Audre Lorde’s beautiful and relevant literature, check out the Knight-Capron Library here on campus.
Works Cited
The Editors. (2021, June 13). Ten poems by Audre Lorde. JSTOR Daily. https://daily.jstor.org/ten-poems-by-audre-lorde/
N/A. (n.d.). Audre Lorde. Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/audre-lorde
N/A. (2022, December). Life story: Audre Lorde. Women & the American Story. https://wams.nyhistory.org/end-of-the-twentieth-century/a-conservative-turn/audre-lorde/
N/A. (n.d.-b). Audre Lorde Quotes. BrainyQuote. https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/audre-lorde-quotes