So far in my “Women Who Inspire Me” series, I’ve had two writers, an artist, and a judge. Now I’m going to add in yet another writer and activist. I’ve not really spread my candidates out by professional field, so seeing them all laid out and considering their careers has opened up a really interesting dialogue within myself about why all my inspirations tend to be from creative fields.
It’s opened up a real “chicken and egg” debate within me: was I drawn towards creative icons because I myself wanted to work in the field, or did I find creative icons to be more accessible than their STEM compatriots and thus felt more drawn to the humanities because of them?
I’ve not really decided my answer yet, but it’s some food for thought.
Which brings me to this week’s amazing women: Audre Lorde.
Audre Lorde
Audre Lorde was born in New York City in the 1930s to Caribbean immigrant parents. As a child, Audre used poetry as a means of communication and memorised a great deal of it. At age 12, she began writing her own poetry and by high school she had already been published in ‘Seventeen’ magazine.
Most women in this series have faced adversity due to their gender, but it pales in comparison to what Lorde would have faced as an African-American, gay woman. The level of discrimination that she would have constantly had to fight against is almost unfathomable. But she fought back with her incandescent words. She challenged the racism within feminism, the sexism everywhere and homophobia in all communities. If there was a writer whose work was certainly still entirely relevant it would be Lorde’s.
She worked as a librarian whilst continuing her writing, and eventually teaching at universities around her world. (Her time in Germany proved to be particularly influential). She helped fight to create the black studies department at CUNY. In 1981, Lorde was among the founders of
the Women’s Coalition of St. Croix, an organisation dedicated to assisting women who have survived sexual abuse and intimate partner violence (IPV). In the late 1980s, she also helped establish Sisterhood in Support of Sisters (SISA) in South Africa to benefit black women who were affected by apartheid and other forms of injustice.
Lorde was one of the first writers to identify what we now know as intersectionalism in feminist theory. After a long battle with cancer, Lorde passed away leaving a huge body of work behind. You wouldn’t be taking a well-rounded women’s studies class if you didn’t study the work of Audre Lorde. (And one of the reasons why I always include “Sister Outsider” on my reading recommendations lists.)
Her work continues to challenge oppression and strives to uplift marginalised communities to this day. Her rage and her passion are so clear in all her work. Lorde’s work will have you constantly thinking about your identity and how you interact with the identity of other people. Reading Lorde was one of the first times that I really challenged my own privilege and it’s yet another reason that I think she should make it on to the required reading list in high schools.
Here are some Lorde quotes for you to take away with you:
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”
“The failure of academic feminists to recognize difference as a crucial strength is a failure to reach beyond the first patriarchal lesson. In our world, divide and conquer must become define and empower.”
“Our feelings are our most genuine paths to knowledge.”
“Your silence will not protect you.”
“I write for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified, because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves. We’ve been taught that silence would save us, but it won’t.”
Read similar posts:
Women Who Inspire Me #1: Joan Didion
A Christmas Gift Guide for Your Favourite Feminist
Women Who Inspire Me #2: Sylvia Plath
Feminist Reads for Every Age
Women Who Inspire Me #3: Georgia O’Keeffe
Women Who Inspire Me #4: Ruth Bader Ginsburg
My Feminism Journey
