Audre Lorde

Audre Lorde is known for her many identities such as a black, lesbian, warrior and poet. Though these are all crucially important to her identity, another vital aspect of who she is would be her journey with breast cancer. Breast cancer had an extremely big impact on her life and how she viewed it. Though at times she thought she might not get through it she had the support of the important women in her life. With the knowledge of the fragility of her life, it gave Lorde a perspective on how she should be spending their time on earth and who she should be spending it with. Especially after we just finished up pleasure week in class there is this notion of what really bring pleasure to people besides sexual pleasures. For Lorde, one of those things was the company of the women in her life during this difficult with her battle with breast cancer. Lorde states, “Support will always have a special and vividly erotic set of image/meanings for me now, one of which is floating upon a sea within a ring of women like warm bubbles keeping me afloat upon the surface of that sea” (pg. 39). After reading this section of her journal I felt moved. It was moving that such words and imagery made me feel and connect on her level of comfort. Lorde was well known in her past for always speaking in poetic language and this is well seen in her journal entries. Even though I cannot even imagine what it feels like to go through life with breast cancer, I know that in hard times the comfort of loved ones is more healing than most medications.

            Lorde also discussed her acceptance of death. The acceptance of death is one that not many people are strong enough to commit to. Lorde says in one part of the journal, “The acceptance of death as a fact, rather than the desire to die, can empower my energies with a forcefulness and vigor not always possible when one eye is out unconsciously for eternity” (pg.26). This is an important idea because she turned the idea of death into something that would empower her and make her stronger rather than tearing her apart. Death is something that can be terrifying for almost anyone but to be able to death with and accept the idea can make people more powerful and enlightened. It can make people realize how to better spend the limited years we have on this planet.

            One other important idea that Lorde states in her journal entries is the fact that she did not get a prosthetic breast after her mastectomy. This is crucial because many women get prosthetic breasts order to hide the pain and loss that they have gone through. But Lorde chooses not to get a prosthetic breast because she said that “The emphasis on wearing a prosthesis is a way of avoiding having women come to terms with their own pain and loss, and therapy, with their own strength”(pg. 49). With this it seems that Lorde’s way of coping with the pain is not to cover it up with something fake, but to keep the scars and make her stronger through them. I also never gave much thought into how much breasts mean to the identity of a woman until they are gone. Lorde makes many comments on how she missed the comfort of her breasts and that without them she felt like a part of her was missing. I never gave much thought into how impactful a breast could be in a woman’s life but now I know that they are. They are a part of the identity of women as a whole and without one of them it would feel like a part of our identity as a woman would seem taken away.

Questions:

1. Do you agree with Lorde that having a prosthetic breast covers up the pain or do you think that it is a way to make women feel more beautiful (like how after chemotherapy women wear wigs in order to feel more beautiful)?
2. I think we can all learn something really important from Lorde’s journal entries about the fragility of life. After reading her journal how did it change your views on how you live your life?

 In Lorde’s “Uses of the Erotic,” the word “erotic” is broken down into what its actual components and function in human life are. Erotic, birthed with the roots of “personification of love in all its aspects” and “personifying creative power and harmony,” should be exercised to renew oneself (55). The erotic functions to positively enrich people, and it is the beauty of being powerful and sharing intense emotions with another. Emotions such as joy when having a bonding moment, or feeling warmth with your closest friend, in a memory that wants to be remembered for a lifetime. Lorde argues that erotism is a unique means of power that everybody holds to represents creativity, deep emotion, and it is a necessity of being in touch with one’s identity. Yet, there is a notion that erotism belongs to the world of patriarchy and pornography, not to the strong women using this part of their identity to survive. 

 The erotic was claimed by a patriarchal society, now used against women in the over-sexualization of sensation. This notion enabled women to be systematically taught not to explore their erotic power because instead of thinking of the erotic as a source to information, it is confused with explicit pornography and taboo images that are learned to engage in secret. Pornography focuses on the sensation of sex, not the empowering feelings, and denies to a majority of the public what genuine eroticism is. According to Lorde, “The erotic is a measure between the beginnings of our sense of self and the chaos of our strongest feelings. It is an internal sense of satisfaction to which, once we have experienced it, we know we can aspire” (54). Being in touch with yourself benefits in many ways: feeling honor, self-respect, and recognizing the power we lock within us. The erotic encourages the awareness of how an individual leads and their actions towards society’s structures; especially to a queer, woman of color, mother, and artist none other than Audrey Lorde. Erotism encourages us to reach the greatest depths of knowledge to push back against the murder of beauty in exploring erotism. From accessing this self-knowledge and all the feelings attached to it, it fulfills us in areas that need patching up. There is satisfaction attached to the sensation of sex, but eroticism explores the completion of self-growth. 

 Society cycles the idea that pornography and erotism are the same when they are two opposing views of the sexual realm. As a result, the bigger picture that Lorde creates is split: “spiritual” aspects in life considered to be the psychic and emotional are viewed as separate from the politics, creating unnecessary tension. Eroticism in the lens of patriarchy makes women feel disgusted and dissatisfied with demanding pleasure from essential areas in our lives other than sexual activity. In our society, erotism is exploited for profit, rather than for the human connection and benefits gained from self-exploration. Lorde voices, “Of course, women so empowered are dangerous. So we are taught to separate the erotic demand from the most vital areas of our lives other than sex” (55). We are instilled with the fear of this aspect of what makes us human since childhood. We are taught to fear this power of erotism that clarifies the world around us, and the skills of analyzation that would help us survive in relative to our personal existence. We conform to a structure that numbs us and places human needs last. 

 Lorde speaks of the erotic as a born gift to exercise. If this power betters individuals, then erotism being reclaimed by society as crucial for self-development and as a reminder of the beauty of feeling, the world would be a more peaceful place. This unique knowledge that was generated from one can be shared to bloom a life of brightness instead of constriction. I adore the comparison Lorde makes to show how the erotic functions in a human’s life: her composing a good poem, and being close to a woman she loves in sunlight. There is no difference in the feelings she exudes, the certainty she feels within herself. Lorde states: “When I speak of the erotic, then, I speak of it as an assertion of the lifeforce of women; of that creative energy empowered, the knowledge and use of which we are reclaiming in our languages, our history, our dancing, our loving, our work, our lives” (55). The self-connection made through the erotic that can be shared with joy around others reminds us that we are blessed as woke humans to feel this deeply. The erotic “heightens,” strengths” and “sensitizes,” our individual experience, yet brings us all together. The argument is that if the erotic was something a community of marginalized groups was in genuinely in touch with, we would be less willing to accept powerlessness against the dominant culture. The need for sharing deep feelings is a human need. Though it can be shared, the erotic cannot be felt secondhand. Recognizing the power of the erotic within our lives can give us the energy to pursue genuine change within our world, rather than settling for the anti-erotic, patriarchal, and racist environment. 

Discussion Questions:

1. What activities do you do throughout your week that you now realize falls under the term erotic? Why does it bring you power, happiness, knowledge, or any other descriptors Lorde uses in her reading? 
2. Why do you believe that society continues to frame the erotic as just sexual sensation? After starting to learn about “Pleasure Activism,” why do you believe that Lorde’s voice and other members of this movement are not being heard? What steps can you take to be a “Pleasure Activist” instead of enabling the current societal notion on erotism? 

“The Legacy of ‘Uses of the Erotic’” thoroughly delves into a conversation format between Page and Brown on Audre Lorde’s “Uses of the Erotic.” This chapter has captivated the attention of both women who question and answer each other by bouncing back and forth ideas and experiences. Brown and Page strongly believe through sex (pleasure and erotic) women are able to feel empowered and are able to identify themselves. Sex isn’t just carnal, sex carries powerful emotions and identification. “But Audre Lorde talks about how we are providing energy for change. And considering the erotic as a source of power and information (50).” 

Through the erotic Lorde focuses on finding the truth of oneself through empowerment and vulnerability, “Our erotic knowledge empowers us. Becomes a lens through which we scrutinize all aspects of our existence, forcing us to evaluate these aspects honestly, in terms of their relative meaning within our lives (42).” To evaluate aspects honestly individuals should be able to search and find answers through vulnerability. Acknowledging one’s own erotica can be eyeopening and breaking many boundaries that have been labeled as taboo through societal norms. In regards to lesbianism, the norm in our society has been heterosexuality, and it is still considered taboo to explore one’s identity in many spaces. But taking the step to explore what is considered taboo is breaching towards vulnerability and then finding empowerment along with happiness through reassurance in one’s self. 

A similar pattern can be exercised through racism with erotica. There has been a constant hypersexualization for Black women in society that has belittled the community. Cara makes an interesting comment about self-love that she was taught as a child by one of her aunts, “I used to say, “I don’t know if I love myself.” And one of my aunts put me in front of the mirror at age six and seven, and she said, “You are going to look at yourself in the mirror and say ‘I love myself.’ And then you’re going to say ‘I love Black people.’”And at first, I resisted, but then I was like, “OK, let’s do this.” And she was committed to that practice every time I saw her. Until it rolled off the tongue and there was no pause and she could say, “Ok, go to the mirror, and love yourself.” And I would, knowingly, lovingly. You feel me?” This practice was put to use at a young age in Cara’s life and it had established the power of feminism and being a person of color. This is a form of claiming one’s identity at a young age which flows into a powerful form of establishing one’s identity through the erotic and sexual experience once they are of age and ready (if applied-asexuality).  Overall, sex can be more than physical, sex can hold many emotions and open identities that could be waiting to become unlocked. Between Page and Brown, both women have explored and reclaimed their sexuality and identities through Audre Lorde’s literature. Lorde view’s many things differently conjuring ideas that some people would have never thought to ponder.

Questions: 

1. “What are other ideas between Page and Brown that have caught your attention based on erotica?”
2. Do you think erotica has been tabooed for long and how can we normalize it in the present-day?
3. How do you think racism and unacceptance work to misconstrue the idea of erotica?

Sara Ahmed speaks to the intense difficulties that feminists face and the extra struggles added to feminists of color. The information is enlightening, especially as I have no knowledge beforehand about these topics. Looking more specifically at “The figure of the angry black woman” and starting with the emotion of anger, in a society where showing any kind of emotion is unprofessional and showing your anger and unacceptance of something could be considered sacrilege. As Ahmed says “
“Reasonable, thoughtful arguments are dismissed as anger . . .” because it is something that isn’t agreed upon in society, therefore, needs to be pushed away and rejected. You might not even be specifically angry and just feeling strongly about a specific topic you are disagreeing on, but because of those strong feelings and your disagreement of that specific topic you are seen as unprofessional and can’t separate your emotions from facts, even if the facts that you say are truthful. In the end, this rejection and dismissal can make you angry which seems to become “read as confirmation”.

When you take what I’ve said before and add that you are a woman of color you lose a lot of visibility and can already be dismissed before a word has left your mouth. When you look at the relationship between white women and women of color, there is a double standard. It seems that woman of color needs to fight with the same feminist Ideals but sacrifice their own in the process of helping “white women . . . getting past guilt”. If a woman of color were “to speak out of anger” she is immediately a “cause of tension” for stating the racism in feminist groups and not allowing white women to get past their “guilt”.

In relation to Sister Outsider “The Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism” by Audre Lorde states that “Women responding to racism means women responding to anger” (124), this makes it seem as if it is unavoidable and inevitable, and it is unavoidable because this anger comes from “exclusion, of unquestioned privilege, of racial distortions, of silence, ill-use, stereotyping, defensiveness, misnaming, betrayal, and co-optation.” (124) Lorde wants us to not fear the anger but use it as fuel for growth as “corrective surgery, not guilt” (124). Without the anger that both Ahmed and Lorde state there would be no change and there would be no fuel to give women the drive in order to speak out and force the problems to be seen and heard and hopefully, to create change.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Why do you think it is frowned upon to show emotions in a professional setting when bringing up issues such as racism?
2. How effective is the use of anger, especially for women of color?

“Feminist Killjoys and Other Willful Subjects,” by Sara Ahmed, encompasses the struggles of modern-day feminists. Not only does the author dote on the obstacles feminists must face, but she also highlights the battles that feminists of color must endure. As we have noted in our previous readings, black women tend to be invisible in society, and often times are ostracized from certain groups, which does not falter when it comes to feminism. Unfortunately, feminists still struggle to accept the women of color into the movement, because, as Ahmed asserts, “The angry black woman can be described as a killjoy; she may even kill feminist joy, for example, by pointing out forms of racism within feminist politics.” This concept of “the angry black woman” is presented multiple times throughout Ahemd’s argument as she strives to perhaps offer an explanation as to why black women are excluded from their own gender’s movement. A description of white female activists proves to be telling of the horrendous ostracization of women of color: “A group of white feminist activists who do not know one another may be present at a meeting to discuss feminist theory. They may feel bonded on the basis of shared womanhood, but the atmosphere will noticeably change when a woman of color enters the room. The white woman will become tense, no longer relaxed, no longer celebratory.” Ahmed attributes the exclusion to the tension that perhaps a person of color may bring to the movement. In some cases, just the presence of a black woman in a room of white activists seems to cause tension, and sadly enough, she would not even have to speak to create a certain stiffness.

The concept of “the angry black woman” is further dissected as anger is blamed for creating the initial threat to the social bond of feminists. It seems as if the movement of feminism is looked at objectively as a delicate crusade. Being as delicate as it is, white feminists specifically seem to struggle when including women of color as they perhaps are still easing into being accepted by society. However, this certain exclusion is entirely hypocritical as women everywhere are fighting desperately to become equals among men yet reject the equal presence of women of all races. The modern-day movement is relatively inclusive, but still partially rejects black women as history proves it nearly always does. Ahmed includes an excerpt of our own Audre Lorde, stating: “When women of Color speak out of the anger that laces so many of our contacts with white women, we are often told that we are ‘creating a mood of helplessness,’ ‘preventing white women from getting past guilt,’ or ‘standing in the way of trusting communication and action.’” Evidently, history continually interjects on the strides made by black women, as they are unable to seamlessly meld within the feminist movement due to society’s inherent racism.

Women of color are not only fighting for their voices in the feminist movement, they are fighting simply to have a voice among society. If white women feel oppressed or less respected than men, it is simply devastating to think of the frustration that feminists of color must face in our society daily: “The figure of the angry black woman is a fantasy figure that produces its own effects. Reasonable, thoughtful arguments are dismissed as anger, which makes you angry, such that your response becomes read as the confirmation of evidence that you are not only angry but also unreasonable!” Rage and frustration as a woman in society is inevitable, as females are reminded of their lower statuses throughout history quite frequently. Yet the black woman must face an even harsher, more cruel history, as she struggles to even remain visible among the feminist movement. The fact that we cannot come together as women and embrace each other no matter our differences, in my opinion, only hinders the movement rather than advances it.

Discussion Questions:
1. Why is it that a movement regarding equality would reject the presence of diversity?

2. The concept of “the angry black woman” is consistently mentioned throughout this particular article. Can you think of a specific moment in literature or film where this was exploited?

Sara Ahmed easily sums up the nature of injustice tensions by centering the idea that in order to ignore a problem, you label those speaking up on issues as the issue themselves. An example of this would be claiming that any discourse concerning negative impacts of racism becomes the problem, rather than addressing the culture, politics and economics that perpetuate the issue. In becoming this problem, you threaten the ideas of those who have decided to shift the problem onto you and ignore their responsibility within it. You become a killjoy by removing yourself from the designated place that society had carved out for you and “You are unseated by the table of happiness. . . When you are unseated, you can even get in the way of those who are seated, those who want more than anything to keep their seats. To threaten the loss of the seat can be to kill the joy of the seated.” Being this killjoy seems to label oneself as the one who provides the context of unhappiness and sustains it which is where “they disturb the very fantasy that happiness can be found in certain places. . . our [feminist] failure to be happy is read as sabotaging the happiness of others.” In summarizing how a killjoy is perceived as being both the unhappy person and an inflictor of this unhappy felling upon others, Ahmed states “My point here would be that feminists are read as being unhappy, such that situations of conflict, violence, and power are read as about the unhappiness of feminists, rather than being what feminists are unhappy about.”

Ahmed also explores the concept of a second layer of killjoys being present within the feminist community. In expression of one’s anger, stereotypes can arise and intersectional issues outside of the identity of being a woman can become home to conflict for another who can feel under attack as anger “is what threatens the social bond” rather than the cause of the anger. In Jasmin Roberts “For White Poets” she discusses taking the stage after a “white woman ally” has “berated” other white people in a fashion as such “words words words, diversity, words, apology, minority, cultural appropriation, words, police brutality, words, she’s talking about racism, she’s talking to white people about white people… she says white people without an ounce of genuine contempt… she tells them they’ve been bad and they snap in agreement, subject: black people, verb, violent action, generic adverb, preposition, interjection, adjective, more snapping and for a moment it’s like racism isn’t cool anymore ‘cuz like a white person said so” (Roberts, 0:15 – 1:13). In response to this spoken word, which definitely holds a tone of anger, a white, male poet responds with the following “OK, so here’s my thoughts on this. I’m not the kind of guy that gets easily offended by everything or ‘triggered’ or whatever but some things in this poem annoyed me…  I’ve never seen a video complaining about people who try to combat racism. I think Roberts intentionally misunderstands the motivation of white poets who try to combat racism through poetry; is it so hard to believe they just want racism to stop? I also couldn’t help getting offended when she said ‘isn’t that just like a white person’.  This is a stereotype she uses to create effect. Rap music may have been widely founded by black people, but it isn’t a crime against a black culture if a black [he meant white person] person raps, especially if they’re as good at is as Macklemore is.” Throughout this entire comment by Matt Sowerby Poetry, he has unconsciously ignored every aspect of the spoken word- the claim for allyship while plainly overlooking his own language in cultural appropriation and white guilt. He felt the need to become defensive even though he’s not typically that “kind of guy” which I believe is attributed to the angry tone held by Roberts, who embodies the stereotypical “angry black woman” even with her “reasonable, thoughtful arguments”. Matt finds these arguments to be “dismissed as anger (which of course empties anger of its own reason)” and thus in the tone of anger, Roberts “response becomes read as the confirmation of evidence” that she is also unreasonable. Ahmed describes this process as “You become entangled with what you are angry about because you are angry about how they have entangled you in your anger. In becoming angry about that entanglement, you confirm their commitment to your anger as the truth “behind” your speech, which is what blocks your anger, stops it from getting through. You are blocked by not getting through.”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Do you recall ever being a killjoy, and what construct were you exposing in being a killjoy?
2. Was the tone of the speaker directly affecting your ability to comprehend her story and in such affliction, could you align yourself with some of Matt’s claims?

The poem “Diving Into The Wreck” by Adrienne Rich shows a strong sense of determination and isolation throughout the speakers journey to find the truth behind the myths that she has been told. The speaker is embodying a scuba diver on this endeavor to find a shipwreck. Throughout the poem the reader is taken on a journey with the speaker to explore the underwater adventure alone.

         The first stanza is crucial for the rest of the poem while talking about isolation. The poem starts out with Rich describing what a scuba diver would wear, but she incorporates phrases such as “edge of the knife-blade” and “body-armor” which leads me to believe that she feels like she needs to protect herself on this journey she is embarking on. No one knows where the reader is because she does not give her origin, so there is also a feeling of danger in this stanza. Danger is amplified when someone is alone. The poem goes onto say. “I am having to do this//not like Cousteau with his// assiduous team// aboard the sun-flooded schooner// but here alone” (7-12). This quote is blatantly saying that she is going on this journey alone. It has an underlying tone of jealousy that Cousteau had a team, he had people to keep him company on his adventure. But the speaker is doing this alone to build her own judgements on these myths that she has been told for many years.

         In stanza three she writes, “I crawl like an insect down the ladder//and there is no one//to tell me when the ocean//will begin” (30-33). These lines have an emphasis on the sense of isolation. She uses words such as ‘I’, ‘no one’, and ‘me’ to show that she is all alone in this big ocean. The reader gets a sense of how far away from land or any other human being the speaker is once again leaving the speaker to feel isolated.

         In stanza seven Rich writes, “the thing I came for: //the wreck and not the story of the wreck// the thing itself and not the myth//the drowned face always staring//toward the sun//the evidence of damage//worn by salt and sway into this threadbare beauty//the ribs of the disaster//curving their assertion//among the tentative haunters” (62-71). In these lines, the wreck is symbolizing the myths that she has been told. On this journey, the speaker wants to find the substance of the myth, the truth behind all of the stories she has been told not the lies. The speaker is on this journey alone to make her own judgements about the truth. I believe that she chose to go on this adventure by herself so that her truth would not be tainted by anyone else that joined her.

         The last stanza of this poem is very powerful. Rich writes, “We are, I am, you are//by cowardice or courage//the one who find our way//back to this scene//carrying a knife, a camera//a book of myths//in which//our names do not appear” (88-95). This is one of the first times in the poem that the speaker addresses the reader by using ‘we’ and ‘you’ giving the reader a sense of collaboration. Indicating that the speaker isn’t alone on this journey anymore because she achieved what she set out to find. The next few lines of this stanza talk about the camera that the speaker brought underwater, this shows that the speaker found the evidence that she was looking for regarding these myths and she’s using the pictures and photos as “proof” that something exists. She will bring these back to the surface with her to prove the myths wrong. 

These persistent doubts have been isolating the reader from believing what is being told.  These thoughts were dealt with on her own and thus her journey was also on her own. It is often in life that the biggest questions and self-doubt are manifested within our own mind. Sometimes being alone is when the questions and answers are found.

1. What do you think the ‘ book of myths’ is a symbol for?  
2. Rich says, “you breathe differently down here” (line 51)? How and why do you think the speaker can breathe differently ‘down here’?

“Diving into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich – Poems | Academy of American Poets.” Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, poets.org/poem/diving-wreck.

In “An Interview: Audre Lorde and Adrienne Rich”, Adrienne asks a series of questions which insight intellectual debates in regard to her development as a poet. Lorde informs Rich that her development as a poet was due to her own rebelliousness, courage, and uniqueness. The interview begins by Rich asking Lorde what it is that caused her to begin writing, invoking her to reminisce on her early childhood to adolescence. Lorde responds by stating, “the first reason for my own writing, my need to say things I couldn’t say otherwise when I couldn’t find other poems to serve. (Lorde, 155)” Lorde expands upon this idea by stating that as a kid, her mother had conditioned her to communicate non-verbally. This technique was what she believed conditioned her to favor feelings as opposed to thoughts, and in an effort to convey these feelings, she would often revert to poetry.

Lorde realized from a young age that she was unique in this way, and in an effort to conform to her classmates, she would attempt to condition herself to think in “normal” ways. However, this did not foster the blooming poet inside of her. Lorde stated that she was often punished by her family and school for being different. She states that she was not always interested in school and, “If I read things that were assigned, I didn’t read them the way we were supposed to (Lorde, 158)”. In order to attain good grades it was essential to have instructors she liked and could relate to due to the fact that she would pick up on their inherent feelings through body language and other forms of non-verbal communication. Lorde makes the implication that this non-conformist style of writing, thinking, and communicating is largely attributable to her success as a poet. In this sense, the traditional schooling system Lorde was exposed to hindered her success rather than aiding it.

Lorde states that her, “own feelings…defied thought” and that “I couldn’t analyze or understand them because they didn’t make the kind of sense I had been taught to expect through understanding (Lorde, 165).” Throughout her life Lorde has searched for ways to convey her feelings to words, so that others could understand the insights she was having. According to Lorde, poetry served as the means to do so. Lorde claims that when she began writing her poems underwent intense scrutiny, misunderstanding, and utter hatred. However, Lorde managed to reach out to those who needed her most and could relate to her. Being a white, heterosexual, male I should be the last person who would be able to relate to her, however, after reading this interview it is my belief that we have a lot in common. The schooling system does not praise our distinctions from each other but attempts to erase them. Educational institutions reward those who can best conform to their ideologies of success and entrepreneurship. However, Lorde breaks the preconceived notion of writers by identifying as a black feminist lesbian and daring to write about it.

Lorde claims that her success as an educator is not due to her knowledge of canonized poetry, yet, to her ability to relate to her students and build loving relationships with them. She treats her students as humans and for the most part, they reciprocate. Lorde speaks on behalf of everyone, not just black feminist lesbians, when she breaks the boundaries between what we perceive as “acceptable literature”. By writing about radical, taboo subject matters Lorde encourages other to reach into the “black mother” inherent to all of us.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you believe that education has helped you develop your personal skills or discourage you from using them?
2. In what ways can/ can’t you relate to the developmental experiences of Audre Lorde?
3. Do you value your thoughts above your feelings or vice versa? And how has the helped/hindered you in your pursuit of a career?

Work Cited

Excerpt From: Audre Lorde. “Sister Outsider.” iBooks. https://books.apple.com/us/book/sister-outsider/id488573027

Excerpt From: Audre Lorde. “Sister Outsider.” iBooks. https://books.apple.com/us/book/sister-outsider/id488573027 She claims that she has always had an over-active imagination and that when she began college in New Mexico, it flourished, as did her poetry.

Excerpt From: Audre Lorde. “Sister Outsider.” iBooks. https://books.apple.com/us/book/sister-outsider/id488573027

Though people are born innocent, they are not born ignorant. Ignorance is being aware of a problem but refusing to seek a solution. We live in a society that was founded on the backs of oppression yet hides under the veil of equality. And when the great thinkers, leaders and revolutionaries do try to enact change, it is often one-dimensional. When it comes to enacting social change, one size should never fit all. However, one’s social identity may subdue one’s ability to collaborate with those that may have like minded goals but opposing perspectives. This lack of diversity can not only tarnish the legitimacy of a social movement but it can also neutralize the voices of those most in need of change. When it comes to diversity, social identities of every scope must be considered. But like every aspect of human life, diversity operates within a hierarchy. 

  In her 2016 Ted Talk, “The Urgency of Intersectionality”, civil rights advocate and lawyer, Kimberle Crenshaw explains the ways in which one’s multiple identities can deter one’s social mobility within a repressive society. Coining the term “intersectionality”, Crenshaw goes on to chronicle the many ways in which the feminism movement have allowed Black women and other women of color to fall through the cracks of America’s consciousness. The women’s liberation movement has always lacked the contrast needed to achieve true social change. While the first-wave feminism of the 19th and early 20th century focused on women’s right to vote, the second-wave feminism of the 1960s and late 70s rallied for every aspect of a women’s social experience; from family, work and even sexuality. The only problem was that the social movement only rallied for a specific archetype of women— white women. Other women of different social, racial and cultural backgrounds were excluded from the feminist outcries.This one-dimensional form of feminism is known as ‘white feminism’. White feminism aims to empower a demographic of women that already upheld some sort of power and privilege over women of color and those of the LGBTQ community. But as Audre Lorde conceptualizes in her article, “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House”, “As women, we have been taught either to ignore our differences, or to view them as causes for separation and suspicion rather than as forces for change.” While white women were rallying for their freedom, women of color were fighting for their survival. White feminism always lacked coalition and the sense of community needed to truly combat oppression, thus perpetuating it.

Social change can never be fully revolutionary without intersectionality. Social change should never be comfortable. Our generation has a habit of demanding “safe spaces”, but provides immunity for only that individual. Safe spaces are fundamental for creating a hospitable community where those of any walk of life are welcomed. However, one of the most common misunderstandings of safe spaces is that they exist for the sole purpose of avoiding the diverse opinions and perspectives of others. Metaphorically, safe spaces should never become echo chambers. In Sister Outsider, Audre Lorde reveals that, “To allow women of Color to step out of stereotypes is too guilt provoking, for it threatens the complancey of those women who view oppression only in terms of sex.” In regards to white feminism, women’s liberation should and will not be orchestrated by white women alone. Real social change is intersectional. Intersectional feminism creates conversation and thus broadens understanding amongst women of diverse subcultures. Although intersectionality was originally explored by black feminist scholars in an attempt to modify the realms of white feminism, the concept of intersectionality can be applied to understanding the complexities of social hierarchies and aid in the practice of collectivism within activism.

Each of us has a countless identity from our gender, class, race, sexuality, etc. These identities shape our experiences in life and our interactions with the world around us. The term intersectionality was first use by a race theorist by the name of Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989. She uses this term to express how our experience with both race and gender intertwine to impact the lives of many black women and woman of color. This theory seeks to give us an understanding of how ones’ social and political identities (e.g., gender, race, class, sexuality, disability, etc.) might combine to create unique modes of discrimination.

“Many of our social justice problems like sexism and racism are often overlapping creating multiple levels of social injustice”. I agree with this statement made by Crenshaw. The black lives matter movement was founded by a black woman yet the fight for black lives doesn’t include black women. In the TED talk, Crenshaw talks about how there is a outcry, protest, etc. when a black woman is killed by when a black man is killed the reactions are quite opposite. This is wrong and very unfair to black women. She a lot mention that we remember the name of black men killed by the police, yet we are completely oblivious to the names of black women killed by the police. This is the perfect example of when intersectionality seeks to eliminate. Nobody march for the black women when they are killed, raped, denied work and equal pay etc. Intersectionality is the belief that all our social justice movement MUST consider all of the different intersections of identity, privilege and oppression that people face in order to be unbiased and effective.

Intersectionality makes our system more effective and fairer yet many of our social justice movement have been very slow to accept this concept because it highlights individual’s privilege. Because the need of the most privileged are usually the one that are prioritized, they are the one considers when discussing solutions to oppression and inequality. Which then leaves the underprivileged group behind. People don’t like to recognize way in which they may be privileged over another but to accept and embrace Intersectionality, we must identify ways in which we are privileged, embrace the knowledge of our advantages and being to recognize that our advantages sometimes keep us from seeing the disadvantages other people are facing.

Social justice movement might argue that intersectionality slows down things because when you only consider the needs of a selected group, it’s a lot easier to “see” progress than it is when you consider the needs of different diverse groups of people. Intersectionality address the needs of everyone rather than the needs of the majority. Not because one will benefit from a movement, we should then allow another to suffer. Intersectionality strives to ensure that fewer people are left behind. Intersectionality is very important in our fight against racism and other oppressions. It deals with all aspect of our lives and not just social movements. Everything we do can be more inclusive with intersectionality. Social justice movement must consider the ways in which our identities interact /intersect. 

Questions

• Who are the people most impacted by the intersectionality? Are there subgroups and identities within this larger group that go or have gone unnoticed? 

• How does your future profession impact intersectionality?

• What, if any, are the recent policies, movements, or laws in place that cause or worsen the rights violations/block intersectionality of a different diverse group(s)?