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Audre Lorde, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front

Rationale By
Jacqueline Maxwell
Link/Citation

Jacobs, Eric Stephen, photographer. Audre Lorde, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front. None. [Between 1970 and 1978.] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2024643033/.

Source Type:
Photographs and Prints
Suggested Grade Level and Audience: Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 12
Instructional value of primary source for the curriculum and/or classroom

This source provides visual representation in the classroom, particularly for students who may identify with Lorde, such as being Black, queer, feminist, or an activist. It can spark discussions about intersectionality and the importance of unapologetically embracing one’s identity in both private and public spheres. This powerful photo of Lorde offers a window into her willingness to be herself unapologetically in both written and visual mediums. Additionally, her works have been pivotal to influencing how we think about systemic oppression, and she was a role model for having pride in one’s authentic self.

Summary/Description

This photo is a black and white portrait of Audre Lorde, taken by Eric Stephen Jacobs, with a caption added by the Library of Congress that reads “Audre Lorde, author of COAL, to be published by W.W. Norton.” Lorde’s direct gaze conveys a sense of confidence and defiance, while her white head wrap and floral attire reflect a blend of cultural identity and personal style.

Context for the Primary Source

Audre Lorde, described by herself and many as a “Black lesbian feminist, socialist, mother, warrior, poet,” was also a writer, professor, civil activist, and intersectional feminist who is known for her poetry, speeches, essays, and activism (“Audre Lorde, Staten Island, NY.”). This photograph was taken during a pivotal moment in Audre Lorde's career, as she gained recognition for her writing and community organizing. It allows students to reflect on how historical figures were first introduced to the public and consider the role of visual representation in shaping public perception.

Reference
Giard, Robert, photographer. “Audre Lorde, Staten Island, NY.” The New York Public Library, updated January 2025. https://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/galleries/fortitude/item/18577.

Focus Question(s)
  • How have Black feminists like Audre Lorde helped to define intersectional feminism through writing and activism?
  • What tools and strategies does Audre Lorde use to define and challenge systems of oppression in her work? How can these be applied to contemporary movements for equity and justice?
  • How does Audre Lorde's work celebrate Black joy and the multifaceted nature of identity? In what ways does she inspire her audience to embrace their own identities and advocate for inclusivity?
  • How do Lorde’s writings serve as a call to action that can apply to our own communities and society today?
  • How might her reminder that there is “no hierarchy of oppression” help to guide people in collaborative spaces?
Standards Connections

NCTE Standards

NCTE-1. Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.

  • By reading Lorde’s poetry, essays, and speeches, alongside works of other feminists, students can connect Lorde’s work to their own experiences and to broader societal issues through writing and discussion.

NCTE-6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts.

  • Through analysis of Lorde’s poetry and essays, students can examine her use of figurative language, rhetorical strategies, and cultural references to communicate her messages in writing and speaking.
Suggested Teaching Approaches
  • Educators might start the school year by introducing a photograph of Audre Lorde and asking students if they recognize her, either by her portrait or her work. Many students may be familiar with Lorde’s famous quotations but lack the full context behind them, as Parul Sehgal discusses in The New York Times. For instance, educators could present the quote “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare,” from A Burst of Light: And Other Essays. This could prompt students to reflect on their own needs in a supportive, inclusive classroom and explore how they can take responsibility for meeting those needs while being accountable for repairing harm they may inadvertently cause. Educators could also assign the full essay to help students analyze how the speaker’s positionality shapes the impact and interpretation of her words, fostering critical thinking about authorial intent and audience.
  • As an exercise in writing and revision, educators could introduce Lorde’s photograph alongside one of her most famous essays, entitled “Poetry Is Not a Luxury” in one of its earliest forms, as “Poems Are Not Luxuries” (pp. 12–14). Through this lesson, educators can introduce the original form of the essay in the Chrysalis: A Magazine of Women’s Culture (1977, volume 3), followed by the later version of the essay found here. In doing so, students can identify not only the larger themes of both essays, but also what she changed in each version, and consider how factors such as audience, context, and purpose may have played a role in some of these edits over time. Students can use their findings to revise their own work, or revise a piece of writing for a different intended audience and purpose.
  • While there is ample opportunity to practice rhetorical analysis with Audre Lorde’s speeches, such as her iconic “The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House,” from Sister Outsider, educators can also use this essay to explore her philosophical ideas about systemic issues that constrain how parts of our identities can exist in certain contexts. Educators might prompt students to identify ways in which systems, both large and small, rely on “tools” that are outdated or oppressive, and to imagine communities where no one occupies the “Master” role. This activity can function as both a thought experiment and an exercise in close reading and reflective writing. Additionally, reading this essay could introduce students to the concept of intersectionality. Students could watch this intro to intersectionality video, then synthesize insights from both Lorde’s and Kimberlé Crenshaw’s work through writing or discussion.
  • Educators could easily introduce her portrait as a segue into any of Audre Lorde’s poems from her collections, such as The Black Unicorn. Students could work in groups to unpack their favorite poems, and the class could use Lorde’s poetry as part of a modified March Madness poetry bracket activity, outlined here in an example from NCTE.
Potential for Challenge
  • While there is no obvious potential for challenge of the photograph, any challenges could come from an unwillingness to engage with Audre Lorde’s writing or activism, which challenged the white heteronormative patriarchal norms of the time. In other words, individuals could challenge her work in the classroom, and these challenges may potentially be rooted in homophobia, racism, misogyny, or a combination of all three.

Links to resources for approaching those topics

  • Potential challenges may arise from discomfort with Audre Lorde’s critiques of systemic oppression and societal norms, which educators can address by fostering an inclusive environment and providing resources to contextualize her work. In order to address misogyny, these lessons from The Representation Project help to unpack gender stereotypes of all kinds. In order to proactively combat racism, the NEA offers the racial justice through this education resource guide. To address concerns related to homophobia, educators can reference GLSEN’s guidebook for supporting LGBTQ+ students, which includes a section on unpacking internalized homophobia.
Alternative or Complementary Primary Sources

For additional engagement, educators can incorporate audio recordings of Audre Lorde reading her poetry, available through the Library of Congress and found here.

Additional References
Subject:
American Popular Culture , Language and Literature , Photography
Topics:
Arts and Culture , Photographs, Prints, and Posters , Poetry and Literature
Year/Date of Creation or Publication
1978