Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde

Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde pushed me to think about equality from yet another angle. It's easy to think about equality from the point of view of one's own benefit, but when one expands out to think about equality from the point of view of people with myriad experiences, the struggle isn't quite as easily defined as once thought. Sister Outsider explores myriad attitudes toward people facing inequality and explores how a one size fits all feminism isn't going to fix the problems of inequality. She explores division and judgment and conflicting attitudes mirroring racial issues, class issues, and ingrained belief systems. The essays and speeches included in Sister Outsider drive home the point that we need to listen to one another and find ways to work together instead of assuming one group's work will benefit everyone or that other people's equality can wait until later. Lorde spoke from her experience to provoke thought and perhaps an understanding that could bring together myriad interests by opening a dialogue. Sister Outsider gave me insight into the complexity of the struggle for equality created by the fracturing of the groups seeking equality.

 

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