Audre Lorde was a pivotal American figure as a writer, professor, and activist. Identifying as a "Black, lesbian, feminist, socialist, mother, warrior, poet," she dedicated her life to challenging injustices. Her work explored intersections of race, gender, and sexuality, advocating against any hierarchy of oppressions. Lorde's powerful voice and insightful poetry continue to inspire movements for social change and equality, emphasizing the importance of unity in the pursuit of liberation and a better future.
In 1902, Linda Gertrude Belmar Lorde, Audre Lorde's mother, was born on the island of Carriacou in Grenada.
On February 18, 1934, Audrey Geraldine Lorde, later known as Audre Lorde, was born in New York City.
In 1951, Audre Lorde graduated from Hunter College High School.
Around New Year's 1953, Audre Lorde's father passed away from a stroke.
In 1961, Audre Lorde earned a master's degree in library science from Columbia University.
In 1962, Audre Lorde married attorney Edwin Rollins, a white, gay man. They maintained an open relationship due to LGBTQ+ discrimination.
In 1962, Audre Lorde's poetry was published in Langston Hughes' New Negro Poets, USA.
In 1966, Lorde became the head librarian at Town School Library in New York City, a position she held until 1968.
In 1968, Audre Lorde left her position as head librarian at Town School Library in New York City after holding the position since 1966.
In 1968, Audre Lorde published her first volume of poems, The First Cities, edited by Diane di Prima.
In 1968, Audre Lorde served as writer-in-residence at Tougaloo College in Mississippi, which profoundly influenced her artistic development and led to the creation of her book of poems, Cables to Rage.
In 1968, while in Mississippi, Lorde met Frances Clayton, a white lesbian and professor of psychology, who became her romantic partner until 1989.
In 1969, Audre Lorde began teaching in the Education Department at Lehman College.
In 1970, Audre Lorde and Edwin Rollins divorced after having two children, Elizabeth and Jonathan.
In 1970, Audre Lorde published her second volume, Cables to Rage, addressing themes of love, betrayal, childbirth, and the complexities of raising children, and openly confirmed her homosexuality.
In 1972, Audre Lorde began residing on Staten Island where she continued writing and teaching, and also co-founded Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press.
In 1974, New York Head Shop and Museum was released, portraying Lorde's New York through the lenses of the civil rights movement and her own restricted childhood.
In 1976, Audre Lorde released Coal, establishing herself as an influential voice in the Black Arts Movement and introducing her work to a wider audience through Norton.
In 1977, Audre Lorde became an associate of the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press (WIFP).
In 1978, Lorde published "The Black Unicorn", where she explores her identity within African female deities, challenging Black Arts ideas about pan-Africanism by transferring the warrior ethos to a female vanguard.
In 1978, Lorde was first diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy.
In 1978, Lorde wrote her essay "The Erotic as Power", theorizing the Erotic as a site of power for women when they learn to embrace it, distinct from its sexualized meaning in mainstream society, dismissing the suppression of the erotic as a male-driven model of power.
On October 13, 1979, Audre Lorde delivered a keynote speech titled "When will the ignorance end?" at the National Third-World Gay and Lesbian Conference, reminding attendees to embrace diversity as a generative force and avoid being torn apart by it.
On October 14, 1979, audio recordings related to the March on Washington, which addressed civil rights for the gay and lesbian community, as well as poetry readings and speeches were recorded. These recordings are held at the Lesbian Herstory Archives in New York.
In 1979, Lorde published her essay "Sexism: An American Disease in Blackface", a rallying cry to confront sexism in the black community in order to eradicate the violence within it. She urged black women and men to end their fight to end racist politics.
In 1980, Audre Lorde published "The Cancer Journals", a non-fiction prose work exploring her diagnosis, treatment, and recovery from breast cancer. The book delves into Western notions of illness, disability, sexuality, and themes of death and survival.
In 1980, Audre Lorde, along with Barbara Smith and Cherríe Moraga, co-founded Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, the first U.S. publisher for women of color.
In 1980, Dagmar Schultz met Audre Lorde at the UN "World Women's Conference" in Copenhagen.
In 1981, Audre Lorde and Dr. Gloria Joseph began their relationship. They later resided together on Joseph's native land of St. Croix.
In 1981, Audre Lorde began teaching at her alma mater, Hunter College, as the distinguished Thomas Hunter chair, influencing her work and inspiring her to write essays and articles about queer, feminist, and African American studies.
In 1981, Audre Lorde was among the founders of the Women's Coalition of St. Croix, an organization dedicated to assisting women who have survived sexual abuse and intimate partner violence.
In 1981, Lorde actively strove for the change of culture within the feminist community by implementing womanist ideology. Her speech contributed to communication with scholars' understanding of human biases and aimed to shift subjectivities of the "white feminist" audience.
In 1981, Lorde and Barbara Smith founded Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, dedicated to supporting black feminist writers through resources, guidance, and encouragement, promoting the celebration of differences.
In 1982, Lorde published "Zami: A New Spelling of My Name", a "biomythography" chronicling her childhood and adulthood and dealing with the evolution of her sexuality and self-awareness.
On August 27, 1983, Audre Lorde addressed the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom as part of the "Litany of Commitment," emphasizing the importance of solidarity among diverse groups and celebrating differences for collective strength.
Beginning in 1984, Audre Lorde taught and visited Freie University of Berlin. Correspondence and teaching materials related to this period are held at the John F. Kennedy Institute of North American Studies at the university.
From 1984 Audre Lorde began a period in Berlin that would later be covered in the documentary "Audre Lorde: The Berlin Years 1984–1992".
In 1984, Audre Lorde began a visiting professorship in West Berlin at the Free University of Berlin, becoming an influential figure in the Afro-German movement and coining the term "Afro-German".
In 1984, Audre Lorde began her time in Berlin, where she led Afro-Germans in a movement to establish identities outside of stereotypes and discrimination. She introduced a new sense of empowerment for minorities, inspiring them to take charge of their identities.
In 1984, Lorde published "Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches", asserting the necessity of communicating the experience of marginalized groups. She emphasizes the need for different groups to find common ground, face difference directly, and constructively channel anger incited by oppression.
In 1984, Lorde's essay "The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House" attacked underlying racism within feminism, arguing that white feminists furthered old systems of oppression by denying difference in the category of women.
In 1986, Audre Lorde was interviewed by Dr. Marion Kraft, where she discussed her literary works and articulated hope for the next wave of feminist scholarship and discourse.
In 1986, after her liver cancer diagnosis, Audre Lorde officially left Clayton for Gloria Joseph, moving to St. Croix. Together they founded organizations such as the Che Lumumba School for Truth and the Women's Coalition of St. Croix.
In 1987, Audre Lorde ended her residence on Staten Island after living there since 1972.
In 1988, Audre Lorde released "A Burst of Light", a non-fiction prose work reflecting on her breast cancer recurrence with liver metastases. The book delves into themes of death, fear of mortality, survival, emotional healing, and inner power.
In December 1989, Audre Lorde wrote her poem "East Berlin 1989", expressing her views on the fall of the Berlin Wall and her concerns about the rise of racism and the triumph of capitalist democratic freedoms.
In 1989, Audre Lorde ended her relationship with Frances Clayton, a white lesbian and professor of psychology, after having been together since 1968.
In 1991, Audre Lorde was designated as the New York State Poet Laureate. Governor Mario Cuomo praised her powerful voice against racial injustice and prejudice.
On November 17, 1992, Audre Lorde, the American writer, professor, philosopher, intersectional feminist, poet, and civil rights activist, passed away.
Audre Lorde's time in Berlin, later covered in the documentary "Audre Lorde: The Berlin Years 1984–1992" ended in 1992.
In 1992, Audre Lorde ended her teaching and visits to Freie University of Berlin. Correspondence and teaching materials related to this period are held at the John F. Kennedy Institute of North American Studies at the university.
In 1992, Audre Lorde received the Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement from Publishing Triangle.
In 1992, Audre Lorde's time in Berlin ended, after she led Afro-Germans in a movement to establish identities outside of stereotypes and discrimination, introducing a new sense of empowerment for minorities.
In 1994, the Audre Lorde Project, a Brooklyn-based organization for LGBT people of color, was founded. It focuses on community organizing and activism related to LGBT communities, AIDS and HIV activism, pro-immigrant activism, prison reform, and youth organizing in New York City.
In 1995, "Body of a Poet" was written as a tribute biopic to honor Lorde, centering on a group of young lesbians of color and celebrating her life and work.
In 2001, Publishing Triangle established the Audre Lorde Award to honor works of lesbian poetry.
In 2001, the Audre Lorde Award was first presented by Publishing Triangle to honor works of lesbian poetry.
In 2012, the documentary "Audre Lorde: The Berlin Years 1984–1992" by Dagmar Schultz was released, premiering at the Berlin Film Festival and highlighting Lorde's impact on the Afro-German movement.
In 2014, "Audre Lorde: The Berlin Years 1984–1992" won Winner of the Best Documentary Audience Award at the 15th Reelout Queer Film + Video Festival.
Until 2018, the documentary "Audre Lorde: The Berlin Years 1984–1992" continued to be viewed at festivals .
In March 2019, during their first match, Megan Rapinoe of the United States women's national soccer team wore a jersey with Lorde's name on the back to honor her.
In June 2019, Audre Lorde was inducted on the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor within the Stonewall National Monument (SNM) in New York City, as one of the inaugural fifty American "pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes".
In June 2019, Audre Lorde's residence in Staten Island received landmark designation by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
In January 2021, Audre Lorde was named an official "Broad You Should Know" on the podcast Broads You Should Know.
On April 29, 2022, the International Astronomical Union approved the name Lorde for a crater on Mercury.
On May 10, 2022, 68th Street and Lexington Avenue by Hunter College was renamed "Audre Lorde Way."
In September 2023, the northern part of the Manteuffelstrasse located in Berlin Kreuzberg was renamed to Audre-Lorde-Straße.
In 2024, the biography titled "Survival Is a Promise" by Alexis Pauline Gumbs about Audre Lorde will be released.
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