Photo By Dagmar Schultz

LIVE STREAM OF CELEBRATION OF AUDRE LORDE

 

BIOGRAPHY

Audre Geraldine Lorde was the third child of Linda Belmar and Frederic Lorde born on February 18, 1943. Born Audrey, she dropped the "y" from her name while still a child, explaining in Zami: A New Spelling of My Name, that she was attracted to the symmetry of the "e" at the end of each name.  Influenced by her mother's love for words and storytelling, Lorde was drawn to poetry and language from a young age. Her schooling began at a Catholic grammar school where she experienced racism and hostility. It was during this time that Lorde first began to develop her literary voice; as a teen she was an active contributor to her school arts magazine and published her first poem in Seventeen magazine. Lorde attended Hunter College (1954-1959) studying Library Science and went on to earn a Master's degree in that subject from Columbia University in 1961. There she met Edwin Ashley Rollins, an attorney, whom she married in 1962. Lorde and Rollins wedding reception took place at Roosevelt House. The couple had two children, Elizabeth and Jonathan; they divorced in 1970. In 1968, Lorde was a writer in residence at Tougaloo College in Mississippi where she met Frances Clayton, a professor of psychology, who was her partner until 1989.

Mina Shaughnessy, former director of City College's SEEK Program (Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge) offered Lorde her first position at CUNY. From there, she went to John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 1970 where she fought to build a significant Black Studies program. In 1981, she accepted the Distinguished Thomas Hunter Chair offered by Donna Shalala, then Hunter College's president, where she taught until 1986. Lorde also taught in the Department of English; today an annual prize for undergraduate excellence in poetry and prose is named in her honor. Lorde was a mentor at the Audre Lorde Women's Poetry Center, housed at Roosevelt House in the 1980s-90s prior to its renovation.

In 1980, together with Barbara Smith and Cherrie Moraga, she co-founded Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press in order to call attention and make available work by women of color. As a prolific poet, talented teacher and artist, and well known activist, Lorde has been acclaimed as a central figure in the feminist movement. In 1991-92, Lorde was the State Poet of New York.

In the late 1970s, Lorde was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a radical mastectomy; she died on November 17, 1992 ofliver cancer in St. Croix where she was living with Gloria Joseph. In her own words, she was a "black, lesbian, feminist, mother, warrior, poet"; Lorde's life and career was characterized by her hopeful efforts to establish a better humanity through her teaching, activism, poetry and prose.


This biography is compiled from a number of sources, from entries found at "e-notes", poets.org, and from Columbia University's Center for New Media Teaching and Learning as well as Clare Coss and Blanch Wiesen Cook's entry in Notable American Women. Special thanks to Thorn in the Department of English for providing some details about Lorde's time teaching at Hunter.

 

 

Daniel G. Simmonds, III

 
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Events




Generously supported by the Office of the President and Office of the Provost at Hunter College, CUNY

 

Attending an upcoming event? Get directions to the Hunter College Campuses here.

 

Join the campaign to enfranchise the Women and Gender Studies Program!

GIVE WOMEN & GENDER STUDIES ITS FAIR SHARE!

MAKE WOMEN & GENDER STUDIES A DEPARTMENT!

 

 

EVENTS IN MAY 2012

 

SATURDAY, MAY 12TH
(RAIN DATE SUNDAY, MAY 13TH)
ALONG THE HUDSON RIVER PARK
1pm-5pm

The Hudson River Pageant-a community based ecological and art 
performance project to restore the native species and habitats
of the Hudson and to address climate change. Spectacular
costumes and puppets.  Volunteers needed. Workshops to create 
costumes, masks and puppets will run from March 3 thru
May 9 (Wednesdays and Saturdays). FREE.  More info and slides
at Hudson River Pageant.

 

EVENTS IN APRIL 2012

 

Date TBA
TAKE BACK THE NIGHT-A candlelight walk against gender violence. 

 

EVENTS IN MARCH 2012

 

THURSDAY, MARCH 29th
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Reading the Open Archive
Panel discussion
Calandra Institute, CUNY
25 West 43rd Street, 17th floor
Sponsored by the New York Council for the Humanities
Beginning TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2012 and ongoing
The Triangle Fire Open Museum 
For more information and a map of locations: 
http://www.rememberthetrianglefire.org/open-archive/about/
Sponsored by the New York Council for the Humanities
SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 2012, 4:45pm
Ringing Of The Bells
Washington Place & Greene Street
http://www.rememberthetrianglefire.org/centennial/bells/ 
Sponsored by Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition 
SATURDAY, MARCH 24th
3:00pm - 4:30pm
The Participation Manifesto! : Critically Engaging Community Participation
Panel Discussion
The Murphy Institute, CUNY
25 West 43rd Street, bet 5th and 6th Ave, 19th floor   New York, NY 10036
Sponsored by the New York Council for the Humanities
FRIDAY, MARCH 23rd
11:15am - 11:45am
The Procession of 146 Shirtwaists and Sashes
Washington Place and Greene Street, NYC
Sponsored by Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition
Email 146triangleprocession@gmail.com for start location & registration
FRIDAY, MARCH 23rd
12:00pm - 1:00pm
101st Triangle Factory Fire Commemoration
Washington Place and Greene Stree, NYC
Sponsored by Workers United/SEIU (ILGWU)


FRIDAY, MARCH 23rd
MEET AT UNION SQUARE SOUTH
9:30am (March starts at 10am)

Pageant-The Triangle Fire Coalition invites you to participate in the
annual march to commemorate the victims of the Triangle Factory Fire that
killed 146 people, mostly immigrant women on March 25, 1911. If possible,
wear period clothing. For more info: ccartei@hunter.cuny.edu


FRIDAY, MARCH 23rd
3:00pm - 5:00pm
The 1982 Chinatown Garment Strike: Community Workshop & Panel Discussion
Chen Dance Center, 70 Mulberry Stree, NYC
Sponsored by the New York Council for the Humanities


TUESDAY, MARCH 20th - SUNDAY, MARCH 25TH
The Triangle Fire Open Museum @ the NYU Open House Gallery
528 La Guardia Place, NY, NY 10012 (Between West 3rd Street and Bleecker Street)
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 12-5pm; Thursday: 2-7pm; Weekends: 1-4pm
Sponsored by the New York Council for the Humanities


TUESDAY, MARCH 20th
4:00pm - 6:00pm
Second Annual Clara Lemlich Awards
"The 8th Floor", Rubin Gallery, 17 W 17th Street, NYC
Please RSVP to info@laborarts.org as space is limited
Sponsored by Labor Arts and Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition



FRIDAY, MARCH 16th
7pm - 10pm 
Brecher Hall Hunter North 635

Film Screening:  Join La Troupe Makandal, the Haitian Drumming Workshop, 
and Global Potential in a screening of a documentary about Haitians in 
the Dominican Republic.  Screening is part of the "Spotlight on Haiti" V-DAY campaign.


THURSDAY, MARCH 8th 
Hunter West 3rd floor Lobby 
12:00pm-4:00pm 
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY FAIR. Meet representatives from a number of grassroots local organizations that 
work on gender, class, race, and sexuality issues. Open mic, music, drumming, food.
TUESDAY, MARCH 6TH
STAND ON LINE ON BROADWAY 
between 13th and 14th Street

THE LINE---Join the Triangle Fire Coalition & HERE Art Center as we stand
on the longest unemployment line. The whole line will stretch from
Battery Park to Times Square, with thousands of people participating and 
giving out "pink slips" with information about unemployment, the need for 
jobs and living wages. For more info about this event, and photographs from 
the first line staged in 2004 go to: www.theline2012.wordpress.com.
Contact at Hunter: ccartei@hunter.cuny.edu
THURSDAY, MARCH 1ST at 7pm
FRIDAY, MARCH 2ND at 7pm
SATURDAY, MARCH 3rd at 2pm and 7pm
BENEFIT PERFORMANCES OF EVE ENSLER'S THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES 
All performances took place in the Lang Recital Hall, room 424 Hunter North.
Information and tickets at V-DAY tables, or huntervday@gmail.com

 

EVENTS IN FEBRUARY 2012

 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH
ROOM TBA
7pm - 10pm
A CABARET TO BENEFIT HAITI

Open mic, music, food, poetry, dance, more... 
Featuring the Haitian Drumming Workshop & members 
of La Troupe Makandal, with Lin Deats (dancer). 
The Cabaret is part of the "Spotlight on Haiti" V-DAY campaign.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 
Hunter West 3rd Floor 
12:00pm - 4:00pm 
V-DAY CABARET: a FUNDRAISER for HAITI

V-DAY FAIR: meet members of various organizations that work to
eliminate gender violence, including Violence Intervention Program
(VIP), Voices of Women, Nuevo Amanecer, NOW, NARAL, Hollaback, 
Sanctuary for Families, Day One, Audre Lorde Project, others.
ccartei@hunter.cuny.edu        (www.vday.org).