Photo by Salimah Ali
Audre Lorde, born on Feb. 18, 1934, was a first-generation Caribbean-American feminist, womanist, librarian and civil rights activist. She described herself as “Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet.” Her life’s work was centered around the injustices of racism, classism, sexism, capitalism, heteronormativity and homophobia (Poetry Foundation, 2019). Lorde has remarkable command of technic, voice and expression in her poetry that has allowed her to communicate angry and outrage toward social and civil injustices that she has witnessed throughout her life. Her prose and poetry illustrate issues in Black female identity, civil rights, feminism, lesbianism and disability. Lorde’s work has endured into the 21st century, and her works have contributed significantly to gender studies and intersectional identity theories (Poetry Foundation, 2018).