“When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak.” - Audre Lorde Today, we celebrate Audre Lorde (Audre Lorde 1934–1992). A self-described “Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet” Audre Lorde dedicated both her life and her creative talent to confronting and addressing injustices of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia. Throughout her career as a writer, librarian, and civil rights activist, Lorde authored more than 10 books, including Sister Outsider — a critique of second-wave feminism. It challenged mainstream feminism to include Black women and queer women. She was a member of the Combahee River Collective — a Black feminist lesbian socialist organization. The Collective argued that both the white feminist movement and the Civil Rights Movement were not addressing the needs of Black women, more specifically, Black lesbian women. Her contributions to feminist theory, critical race studies...