Gamba Adisa

Gamba Adisa

When you were born,

They did not know your path

Or what you would shout from podiums

Or write in hard books

On love

And war

And civil rights.

They just held you.

And we did not understand then

When you uttered your cry

Your fight for Life

And Colour

And Sex

We just listened

And you held us

In your inked hands

And taught us slowly

Around your Kitchen Table

By NLMcD

Footnote:

Late in life, Audre Lorde was given the African name Gamba Adisa, meaning "Warrior: She Who Makes Her Meaning Clear". It is a name that applies to her whole life. Her struggle against oppression on many fronts was expressed with a force and clarity that made her a respected voice for women, African Americans, and the Gay and Lesbian community.

In 1968, she accepted a teaching position at Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi where the violence that greeted the civil rights movement was close at hand every night. This period cemented the bond between her artistic talents and her dedication to the struggle against injustice.

Lorde went on to provide avenues of expression to future generations of writers by co-foundingthe Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press.