Published on Feb. 15, 2022

To celebrate Black History Month our CASE Marketing interns are highlighting their most influential figures. In this video, intern Lauren Purdy honors writer and civil rights activist Audre Lorde.

Hi, I’m Lauren Purdy, and I’m a senior and intern for the CASE marketing team. I am majoring in journalism with an emphasis in strategic communication and a minor in Black studies.

One Black historical figure who has always been an inspiration to me is Audre Lorde.

A self-described “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” Audre Lorde dedicated both her life and her creative talent to challenging racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia. She was central to many liberation movements and activist circles, including second-wave feminism, civil rights and Black cultural movements, and struggles for LGBTQ equality. In particular, Lorde’s poetry is known for the power of its call for social justice, as well as its depictions of queer experience and sexuality. In the early 1980s, Lorde also helped found Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, the first U.S. publisher for women of color, before losing her battle to cancer in 1992.

Lorde passionately urged individuals to embrace differences within communities, which has resonated with me in my own life. Writing has been an outlet for me to not only self reflect, but also to make my voice heard.