There is No Hierarchy of Oppressions by Audre Lorde

Here is an article by the late Audre Lorde, available at:

http://hymes.wordpress.com/2007/09/04/there-is-no-hierarchy-of-oppressions-by-audre-lorde/

It's phenomenal! Here goes:

I was born Black, and a woman. I am trying to become the strongest person I can become to live the life I have been given and to help effect change toward a livable future for this earth and for my children. As a Black, lesbian, feminist, socialist, poet, mother of two including one boy and a member of an interracial couple, I usually find myself part of some group in which the majority defines me as deviant, difficult, inferior or just plain “wrong.” From my membership in all of these groups I have learned I have learned that oppression and the intolerance of difference come in all shapes and sizes and colors and sexualities: and that among those of us who share the goals of liberation and a workable future for our children, there can be no hierarchies of oppression. I have learned that sexism (a belief in the inherent superiority of one sex over all others and thereby its right to dominance) and heterosexism (a belief in the inherent superiority of one pattern of loving over all others and thereby its right to dominance) both arise from the same source as racism–a belief in the inherent superiority of one race over all others and thereby its right to dominance.

“Oh, says a voice from the Black community, but being Black is NORMAL!” Well, I and many Black people of my age can remember grimly the days when it didn’t use to be!

I simply do not believe that one aspect of myself can possibly profit from the oppression of any other part of my identity. I know that my people cannot possibly profit from the oppression of any other group which seeks the right to peaceful existence. Rather, we diminish ourselves by denying to others what we have shed blood to obtain for our children. And those children need to learn that they do not have to become like each other in order to work together for a future they will all share.

The increasing attacks upon lesbians and gay men are only an introduction to the increasing attacks upon all Black people, for wherever oppression manifests itself in this country, Black people are potential victims. And it is a standard of right-wing cynicism to encourage members of oppressed groups to act against each other, and so long as we are divided because of our particular identities we cannot join together in effective political action.

Within the lesbian community I am Black, and within the Black community I am a lesbian. Any attack against Black people is a lesbian and gay issue, because I and thousands of other Black women are part of the lesbian community. Any attack against lesbians and gays is a Black issue, because thousands of lesbians and gay men are Black. There is no hierarchy of oppression.

It is not accidental that the Family Protection Act, which is virulently anti-woman and anti-Black, is also anti-gay. As a Black person, I know who my enemies are, and when the Ku Klux Klan goes to court in Detroit to try and force the Board of Education to remove books the Klan believes “hint at homosexuality,” then I know I cannot afford the luxury of fighting one form of oppression only. I cannot afford to believe that freedom from intolerance is the right of only one particular group. And I cannot afford to choose between the fronts upon which I must battle these forces of discrimination, wherever they appear to destroy me. And when they appear to destroy me, it will not be long before they appear to destroy you.

Welcome!

Welcome to the digital space of Students Promoting Equality Action and Knowledge (or SPEAK)!

SPEAK is an unofficial organization of Hampton University students who are dedicated to ending homophobia and creating a safe space for LGBTQQA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, questioning, queer, and allied) students.

No one's sexuality is assumed at SPEAK, and we strive to make sure that everyone's voice is heard.

Hampton University is a historically black university that was founded in 1868. According to the Hampton University Code of Conduct, each member of the Hampton Family is required "to prohibit discrimination, while striving to learn from differences in people, ideas, and opinions:"

Each member of the Hampton Family will support equal rights and opportunities for all regardless of age, sex, race, religion, disability, ethnic heritage, socio-economic status, political, social, or other affiliation or disaffiliation, or sexual preference.

(From item #4, http://www.hamptonu.edu/about/codeofconduct.cfm)

At SPEAK, we believe that one meaningful way to uphold item 4 of the HU Code of Conduct is to educate ourselves and other students about why homophobia is harmful to all members of society, no matter what the sexual orientations of those members may be.

"Homophobia" is a term that was coined in the 1960's by a heterosexual psychologist and gay rights activist named George Weinberg (http://www.gaytoday.com/interview/110102in.asp). It refers to an irrational fear of homosexuality and people perceived to be homosexual, and can manifest itself in slurs, insults, and violence towards people perceived to be homosexual or supporters of equality for gay people.

At SPEAK, we believe that homophobia is the root cause of the perception of homosexuality as deviant; as members of a historically black institution, we want to help dispel the myths that surround homosexuality in black communities by providing this forum to build bridges between LGBTQ students and straight students at Hampton University. We want to help LGBTQ students feel affirmed in their identities and give straight students the tools they need to become allies in the broader movement to challenge homophobia.

Hopefully, readers of this blog will find it useful and enlightening!

We will post meeting dates and times soon, as well as interesting articles and links. Stay tuned and visit often to remain updated.


Namaste (the spirit in me acknowledges the spirit in you)
:)