Mae Jemison & Audre Lorde: Highlighting BIPOC + LGBTQ+ Historical Women

Despite numerous obstacles, women continue to thrive and pave the way for generations of women to come. Women have played a huge role in opening doors, making a difference in the lives of young girls all over the world. Despite hurdles, their resilience and strength have led to impacts in their communities and the world. Throughout history, women’s accomplishments have been overlooked — we want to help change this narrative. In honour of Womxn’s History Month, here are two BIPOC/LGBTQ+ women who have accomplished great feats.

Mae Jemison (1956-Present)

As an engineer, physician and former NASA astronaut, Mae Carol Jemison has made great strides in fields predominantly run by white males. Mae became the first Black woman to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist for the Space Shuttle Endeavour, orbiting around the Earth for a week in 1992. Before her life as an astronaut, Mae received degrees in chemical engineering and Afican American studies from Stanford University. As one of the only African American students in her class at Stanford, she often experienced racial discrimination however, that did not stop her from excelling in her academic pursuits and completing her degrees. Mae then went on to graduate from Weill Cornell Medical College where she completed her MD. After her education, Mae became a medical officer with the Peace Corps in West Africa and worked on several research projects, including the development of a hepatitis B vaccine and she later went on to receive the Elizabeth Blackwell Medal for outstanding contributions in the field of medicine. After serving six years as an astronaut at NASA, Mae went on to start The Jemison Group, a consulting company that promotes science, technology, and social change. As a trailblazer in the scientific world, Mae sets an example for women in STEM.

“You have the right to be involved. You have something important to contribute, and you have to take the risk to contribute it.” - Mae Jemison

Audre Lorde (1934-1992)

Audre Lorde self-described as “Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet”, but she was so much more than that — she dedicated her life to confront and combat racism, sexism, classism and homophobia. From a young age, it was clear that Audre was incredibly talented in poetry and used it as her form of expression and communication. She published her first poem in Seventeen magazine as a high school student. Audre completed her BA from Hunter College and MLS from Columbia University. Then, she went on to become a librarian in New York public schools and a poet-in-residence at Tougaloo College. Audre faced racism as an academist in a predominantly white field however, Audre was unimpeded by these systemic barriers. Audre’s poetry is powerful in that it is embedded with calls for social and racial justice as well representative of the queer experience. She did not believe in the use of categories such as “lesbian” and “Black women.” Audre’s intersectional view of the world was clear when she said, “My sexuality is part and parcel of who I am, and my poetry comes from the intersection of me and my worlds…”

Audre was involved in many activist circles and liberation movements — specifically ones centered around Black cultural movements, second-wave feminism and LGBTQ+ equality. After overcoming a fight with cancer and a mastectomy, Audre worked hard to address the lived cancer experience amongst women and by choosing to not wear a prosthesis after her mastectomy surgery, she defied social norms around femininity. Audre received many honors and awards to commemorate her work and sacrifices for marginalized communities. To learn more about her and her work, many of her essays and novels, such as A Burst of Light and The Black Unicorn, are available online.

As Womxn’s History Month comes to an end, take the time to reflect on the sacrifices and strides made by women, such as Mae Jemison and Audre Lorde. Appreciate how far we have come, look forward to what still needs to be done and figure out how you can help.

by Harni Ganesarasa '24 (Blog Subcommittee Member)

References

About Audre Lorde. (2021, February 17). Retrieved March 19, 2021, from https://alp.org/about/audre

Alexander, K. (n.d.). Mae Jemison. Retrieved March 19, 2021, from https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mae-jemison

Audre Lorde. (n.d.). Retrieved March 19, 2021, from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/audre-lorde

Inspiringquotes.us. (n.d.). Top 22 quotes of Mae Jemison. Retrieved March 19, 2021, from https://www.inspiringquotes.us/author/9349-mae-jemison

Mae Jemison. (2021, February 11). Retrieved March 19, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mae-Jemison