Audre Lorde: Black Woman

Growing up, when my parents would inquire what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always stated I wanted to become a singer or an actress. I do not know if I was interested in those careers because I watched a lot of Spanish soap operas with my mother and listened to a lot of Selena’s music. It was not until I grew up and figured out that I wanted to become a social worker that I truly took into perspective that I was born with two strikes against me. When you read the word strike, you may think of baseball. In reality, I’m referring to being a woman and a Latina. As I read the first chapter of sister outsider Andre Lorde elaborates about who she is “Black woman, Lesbian, Feminist, Mother, daughter of Grenadian immigrants, educator, cancer

As women we face many of the same challenges. As women who are oppressed, we face different challenges than other women who may not be considered oppressed. Audre Lorde is a mother of two children, there was a powerful statement she made in chapter one about being a mother of children of color. Audre stated as women of color with children of color “We fear our children will be dragged from a car and shot down in a street and you will turn your backs upon the reasons they are dying”. This statement is not only powerful, but it made me research when did she write this essay. It is the exact reality that we are facing in the world today during the year 2015. Audre wrote her essays from the years 1976-1984 and not much has changed. It made me think about the case which was very popular, the case of Mike Brown in Baltimore, who was unarmed and was shot by police. There are many fears women with children of color face that does not apply to Caucasian mothers with children. Every time I hear the news that people of color were murdered by police and the police officers are not charged I am never

It is amazing to me how Andre Lorde‘s essays discussed so many concerns that people of color are facing. I was amazed when I read Andre Lorde’s essay about her visit to Russia, especially during the time that the essays were written from 1976-1984. I felt that Andre had some type of positionality and privilege as a writer and professor. In Russia during the year that the essay was written, it was not very common to see black women. Russia was also not very open minded about gays and lesbians. During the year 2013, I took a trip to Cancun, Mexico. I went to an interesting club called Coco bongo. Cancun, Mexico is a very well known tourist area. I observed that three African American women in the club were treated like they were unique. They were not celebrities but it seemed like they were. The individuals of Mexican descent were fascinated with the way the women danced and the color of their skin. The reason I share that story is because I pictured Andre feeling like those African American women in Mexico did on her trip to Russia. It appeared that Andre was shocked about some Russian customs. It was the second time I read the word oppressive in her essays “In Russia you carry your own bags in airports and