S2:Episode 5| Warrior Poet: Audre Lorde and the New Tools of Resistance

In this episode of HerStance, host Sandra Koelle dives into the life of the incomparable Audre Lorde—a self-described "Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet" who dedicated her life to confronting all forms of injustice. From her childhood in Harlem to her global impact in Berlin and Cuba, we explore how Lorde used language as a powerful form of resistance and why her message is more urgent today than ever before.  

What You’ll Learn:

• The Power of Naming: Why Lorde dropped the 'y' from her name and how naming yourself is the first act of resistance.  

• The Master’s Tools: A deep dive into her 1979 provocation that "the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house" and what it means for modern activism.  

• Building New Tables: The history of the Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, the first U.S. publisher for women of color, and her work with the Women’s Institute for Freedom of the Press (WIFP).  

• Global Architecture of Identity: How Lorde helped coin the term "Afro-German" in Berlin and challenged systemic erasure during her 1985 trip to Cuba.  

• The Legacy of Gamba Adisa: Understanding her final African name, meaning "Warrior: She Who Makes Her Meaning Known," and her many honors, including serving as the New York State Poet Laureate.