Practicing Hospitality in a Time of Backlash - Assignment Example

Civil Rights Andre Geraldine Lorde Andre Geraldine Lorde was born in the year 1934 in Harlem, a predominantly Negro suburb in New York, as the youngest child of West Indian immigrants. After leading a full and active life, caring for the poor and the marginalized people through her writings, social and community work, she finally, succumbed to breast cancer in the year 1992. During a life spanning 58 years, she spawned significant contributions in the fields of writing and social activities which earned her many laurels and recognitions, and left an indelible mark in the annals of the African American movements and also the Civil Rights movements in the United States of America. Even as a child, she showed a deep penchant for writing, and wrote her first poetry at the age of eight years. Her life and her works were dedicated for the search for her true self, and to put forth the intricate matters about her own self to the outside world. Her works stand out as an attempt for totality, and out of this passion for totality, she tries to focus and address all aspects about herself and through this process, she teaches us about the need for being different and also think differently. Minorities’ Rights and Gender Identity Right from a young age she took an active part in Civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s, not only through her writings but also as an activist, teacher and social worker, for the cause of the oppressed people. She was very much concerned about the details of the African American natives in their struggles for self expression and the unfair treatment meted to the underprivileged races. Although she was concerned about the issue of gender issue she was also active regarding the feminist movement. She was very much concerned because the blacks viewed gender issues as diverted from racial issues. At the same time she was very aggrieved with feminists who viewed issues of race as less important than issues of gender. She says that being a black feminist she recognized that both her powers and well as her basic oppression would stem from the fact that first a black and second a woman, and therefore, her struggles on both the counts should be one and not separable. In an essay she says “certainly there are very real differences between us of race, age and sex. But it is not those differences between us that are separating us. It is rather our refusal to recognize those differences and to examine the distortion which result from our misnaming them and their effect upon human behavior and expectations” 1 In a poem, Lorde writes that she was put in front of demonstrations in a cafeteria. She notices that the waiter passes by the black customer to serve the white women. The argument was that white women could take part in the demonstrations since the black women were busy at home taken care of their children. Through the poem, Lorde speaks about the racial discrimination being practiced and how it affects the morale of the black community. The white woman was not aware of the discrimination of the waiter against the blacks as much as they were not aware of their higher class when compared to In addition to her fight against sexism in racial concerns and racism in the context of gender, she also had to confront hostility regarding her lesbianism. She firmly believed that homosexuality was looked down by people who were insecure about their own identities and so the best way for self defense on her part would be to frank and open about her lesbianism. She was very honest about her professed lesbianism and refused to stifle any part of her identity. Lorde also taught others how to connect to their own powers and among themselves. In 1989, while reading a poem at Stanford, Andre Lorde had said “ I am a black,feminist,lesbian,warrior,poet,mother doing my work “and she goes on to ask her audience ‘ who are you and how are you doing yours ?” 2 Andre was a ardent feminist. She always advocated for black women to be articulate and vocal about their rights. She firmly believed that the black women have to empower themselves by loving themselves first. Defining and Loving oneself The black women would first have to define and identify themselves first, their hopes and aspirations and then seek to enforce their rights. She felt that unless the blacks do not know themselves they would be exploited by others, for their own advantage, with harmful results. This was primarily because the myth of superiority of black women as a social concern was just a excuse by the racist forces to draw away the attention of the administration from the truth of black oppression. The powers of self definition should be set by the blacks in order to be ready to search for avenues for pursuit of power and interests within the community. This is very much necessary in the war for black liberation. It is needed that the black people join together in common bond of unity and friendship to realize their political, social, cultural and emotional interests. Further the black women should not allow sexual relations to discriminate between black men and women and the empowered men or women, gaining in strength does not weaken the other gender. There was no need for differential analysis among the blacks themselves and what was necessary was to create awareness regarding the real problems and ways and means of resolving them. They should identify social and political forces that were impeding their growth and development and join hands to eliminate the problems, The black men did not have any real threats. They did not have to undergo the pains of labour, or carry unwanted children, or bear the brunt of unavailable abortions or become victims of rape. These were the problems exclusive to women only. Another aspect considered by Andre Lorde was the anger of black heterosexual women, directed towards white women who liasoned with black men since it was an unequal equation, since black women may not be able to desire white men. She felt the policy of discrimination against black women needs to be addressed and resolved, and for this she waged a relentless war throughout her life. Through her excellent and thought provoking poetry, she redefined the limits of verse and its effects on people. She firmly believed that poetry was not a comfort but was an essential requirement for our lives. She was very forthright and believed that the matters that need to be spoken should be articulated even at the risk that it may be misquoted or misunderstood. She believed in the powers of the written words that could impassionate people and causes.” What is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and served, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood.” 3 Lorde was a black lesbian female activist who challenged the supremacy of the male dominated whites. She was very much alive to needs of the black community and helped them in every possible manner through her poems and created awareness about the injustice and discrimination that was being imposed on them. She received many awards during her lifetime, the notable among which was the New York State Poet for years 1991 -1993. While conferring the award the Governor of New York, Mario Cumom said “Her imagination is charged by a sharp sense of racial injustice and cruelty, of sexual prejudice... she cries out against it as the voice of indignant humanity.” 4 She was a black who fought for the rights of the black minority. The blacks were often oppressed by the white majority and even denied their civil rights of voting and other basic fundamental rights. They were forced to work for the white majority and persecuted and oppressed in every possible way. Through her poems and her prose writings, she created a strong awareness among the black minority regarding their rights as African American citizens and encouraged them to pursue their goals and objectives with courage and determination. She said that “liberation is not the private province of any one particular group.” 5 She believed that liberation was a right of all human beings and could not be denied to the black minority. She goes on further and says “When I dare to be powerful-to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” 6 She was a courageous and brave warrior who possessed the courage of her convictions and pursued her beliefs against tyranny and .oppression till the very end of her life with self belief and self determination. Although she was diagonised with breast cancer, she did not give in tamely to the condition, and continued to fight it with a brave front, and did not allow her failing health to stand in the way of her activities and her desire for a better life for her beloved people. Women empowerment She was a great advocate of women’s rights. She was a feminist who believed that black women should exercise the same rights as black men and together they should seek to pursue their goals, each gender respecting the strengths of the other without rancor, in order to fight the outside challenges in a united way. She said that “the women’s place in power within each of us is neither white nor surface, it is dark, it is ancient and it is deep” (My Demographic’s Agency 2006) .The poems she wrote spoke of the obliteration of the black American culture by the indifferent and superior White population, and she struggled, throughout her life, to give the black Americans a better deal at the hands of their white masters. After completing her studies, she worked as a librarian while honing her skills as a writer. In 1968, she accepted a teacher’s job in Tongoloo College, Jackson, Mississippi, which was a constant place of violence between the white majority and black minority. During the time she spend in this place, she was able to devote time for her artistic pursuits and also, to help in the fight against injustice. Lorde took the initiative to provide expression to women by co-founding the Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press.” Dedicated to publishing and distributing the works of various communities of women of color across this country” 7 She also assumed the central leadership for the African American movement when it was on the decline and helped to revive it. The principal reason for the decline of the African American movement was that the blacks lacked unity and were busy indulging in their internal squabbles and thus were disunited. Lorde felt that the time had come when the Black minority had to set aside their petty differences among themselves, and present a united front to the challenges facing them. Then only, they would be able to tackle the various challenges successfully and achieve self expression for their efforts. She was also instrumental in forming the Sisterhood in Support of Sisters in South Africa. Lesbianism She was very open about her lesbianism and felt that everyone had the right to pursue their own forms of sexual expressions. She fought against sexual discrimination and marginalization of same sex relations by the ruling whites and the neglect of the movement for gay rights. She was one of the select speakers at the National March for gay and lesbian liberation in DC during the year 1979, and it was quite successful. Civil Rights As a civil rights activists, she was very active and later on in her life, she assumed the African name of “Gamba Adisa “which means” Warrior- she who makes her meaning clear.” 8 The name of Gamba Adisa is a very appropriate name for Andre Lorde and it epitomizes her entire life and her endless struggles against internal and external forces-. Her internal struggles were against her same sex sexual preferences and beliefs which were in contrast with existing norms at that time. Her external struggles were against social injustice, discrimination and cruelty towards the Black minorities and the stifling of their civil rights by the powerful white dominations. Her struggles for her own self expression, which became widely recognized, earned her a lot of laurels and also the National Book Award Nominee for Poetry for the year 1974. However, it was the concern for her colored brothers and sisters that gave her the impetus for clarion self expression and also encouraged them for stand for themselves and express their inner most feelings without fear or favor. Her clarity in thought and expression along with her simple yet eloquent and compulsive style and the tremendous force and power behind the speeches, all made her a very respected name for womanhood, the African American movement, gay and lesbian forums throughout the USA. She said “The quality of light by which we scrutinize our lives has direct bearing upon the product which we live, and upon the changes which we hope to bring about through those lives." 9 Passion for her people Andre Lorde believed that through poetry people would be able to understand each other and thus people can feel “how the other feels on what is happening.” 10 She believes that the change effected by the understanding of one another is vital and permanent and could benefit the community. All the ethnic and cultural conflicts emanate because of people’s innate ignorance on how to understand each other and learn to love each other. She says as a lesbian, ‘loving people has given me a special view’ 11 since she would not be able to love and care for people if she did not possess certain special characteristics. The fact that she is a self confessed lesbian has opened new avenues for reaching out to people, especially black women who shared the same struggles and conflicts as she and she was able to equate with them at their level and try to solve their problems as though they were her own. She had a great communal feeling and wanted others also to have it so that many issues could be sorted out. She shared special concerns for the growth and development of the African American movement and her black brethrens should not be marginalized because of racial discrimination or dispossessed of educational facilities due to the color of their skin. She believed that through her poetry, which is a vital ingredient for our very existence, more meaning and depth could be attached to our lives and we could make our lives more meaningful and well directed, and also help other people to realize self actualization and enrich their lives and the lives of others around them. Through the process of writing, we could germinate new and offbeat ideas, which, if implemented, could lead to social development. But for this we need to control our emotions and feelings and also to write what we think is right , without fear and to translate our thoughts into actions, our passions should stir us to new heights of activities for well being and also motivate others to follow suit. We should realize our passions through our efforts and hard work and help translate our dreams into reality. According to Andre Lorde, “all of us know how little there is to lose. Not how much there is to lose, but how little.” 12 In other words what Lorde wishes to tell us is that in life, we have to go all out and accept its challenges, and pursue our dreams and visions, since always we stand to gain more than what we lose. Her tryst with cancer had reminded her about the fleeting and transitory nature of human life, and she bravely continued her good work till her eventual death in 1992. All this reminds us to make our living moments useful in order to gain a permanent place in the hearts of people after our death. Conclusion The life and loves of Andre Geraldine Lorde is a vivid description of a black women’s successful attempt for self expression and self determination. Belonging to the black minority, facing strictures and discrimination throughout her working life, she rose to take up the challenge on behalf of her colored brethrens and sisters, and was instrumental in transforming the social condition of her community and also in instilling a new confidence and self belief in them. “She personified the civil rights struggle of the twentieth century” 13 and through her poems and writings, became a very influential poet of American literature who inspired a whole breed of later writers to take up her espoused causes of civil and human rights and their determination. She will be a source of pride for all freedom loving citizens not only in the United States, but throughout the free world and shall remain an inspiration and role model for activists taking up the cause of the “disenfranchised, silent and oppressed people” 14 in order to grant them civil rights and human liberties to co-exist peacefully in the free world. Works Cited Russell, Letty. M. Practicing Hospitality in a Time of Backlash. http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/jan1996/v52-4-article4.htm (accessed April 14, 2007). Laurentis, de. Teresa. Feminism and Its differences. http://www.medmedia.org/review/numero2/en/art2.htm (accessed April 14, 2007). Remember Audre Lorde (1934-1992). http://www.lambda.net/%7Emaximum/lorde.html (accessed April 14, 2007). Audre Lorde. 1997. http://authors.aalbc.com/audre.htm (accessed April 14, 2007). Lorde, Audre. 2006. Poetry Is Not a Luxury. http://freeagencyalways.blogspot.com/2006/07/poetry-is-not-luxury.html (accessed April 14, 2007). Volume 10 No 1 Fall 2005. Writers Online. http://www.albany.edu/writers-inst/olv10n1.html#lorde (accessed April 14, 2007). Audre Lorde Biography (1934-1992). 2007. A&E Television Networks. http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=214108 (accessed April 14, 2007). Audre Lorde Quotes. Brainy Quote. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/audrelorde357281.html (accessed April 14, 2007). Veaux, De. Alexis. 1996. Warrior Poet: A biography of Andre Lorde (Hardcover). http://www.amazon.com/Warrior-Poet-Biography-Audre-Lorde/dp/0393019543 (accessed April 14, 2007). Borsellino, Robert. 1991. Poet Uses forum for a Message. Electric Times Union. http://www.albany.edu/writers-inst/timesal.html (accessed April 14, 2007). Read More