About Audre Lorde

Audre Lorde was born on February 18, 1934 in the great city of New York. She went on to attend some of the city’s most prestigious institutions. Lorde graduated from Hunter College then Columbia University; she studied literature related topics in her undergraduate and graduate years.

Realizing her love for writing, Lorde began being a poet and an essayist. Similar to Waves of Change, she documented issues happening in her community. I really admire the work she did because this shows that even back in her time people thought it was important to document. Since then, documenting has progressed to the Internet and cellular devices.

Lorde not only documented what was happening in her community, but also what she herself was going through with cancer. She tells her story in her 1980 novel The Cancer Journals. In the journal, she talks about how she refused to become a victim to the disease and instead saw herself as a warrior. While undergoing treatment, she moved to the U.S Virgin Islands. While staying on the islands, she made the decision to change her name to "Gamba Adisa" which means "she who makes her meaning clear". I believe this name was a good fit for her because she left her mark on the world by documenting. Even though she ended up dying from cancer, her legacy still lives on; because of people like Audre Lorde, we know what happened in the past.