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AUDRE LORDE
"Audre Lorde (born Audrey Geraldine Lorde, February 18, 1934 – November 17, 1992) was a writer and civil rights activist.
A self-styled "black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet," writer Audre Lorde dedicated both her life and her creative talent to confronting and addressing the injustices of racism, sexism, and homophobia. Her poetry, and "indeed all of her writing," according to contributor Joan Martin in Black Women Writers (1950-1980): A Critical Evaluation, "rings with passion, sincerity, perception, and depth of feeling." Concerned with modern society's tendency to categorize groups of people, Lorde fought the marginalization of such categories as "lesbian" and "black woman," thereby empowering her readers to react to the prejudice in their own lives. While the widespread critical acclaim bestowed upon Lorde for dealing with lesbian topics made her a target of those opposed to her radical agenda, she continued, undaunted, to express her individuality, refusing to be silenced. "
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A self-styled "black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet," writer Audre Lorde dedicated both her life and her creative talent to confronting and addressing the injustices of racism, sexism, and homophobia. Her poetry, and "indeed all of her writing," according to contributor Joan Martin in Black Women Writers (1950-1980): A Critical Evaluation, "rings with passion, sincerity, perception, and depth of feeling." Concerned with modern society's tendency to categorize groups of people, Lorde fought the marginalization of such categories as "lesbian" and "black woman," thereby empowering her readers to react to the prejudice in their own lives. While the widespread critical acclaim bestowed upon Lorde for dealing with lesbian topics made her a target of those opposed to her radical agenda, she continued, undaunted, to express her individuality, refusing to be silenced. "
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BAYARD RUSTIN
"Bayard Rustin (March 17, 1912 – August 24, 1987) was an American leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism , pacifism and non-violence, and gay rights. He was born and raised in Pennsylvania where his family was involved in civil rights work. In 1936, he moved to Harlem, New York City and earned a living as a nightclub and stage singer, and continued activism for civil rights.
In the pacifist Fellowship ... (FOR), Rustin practiced nonviolence. He was a leading activist of the early 1947-1955 civil rights movements, helping to initiate a 1947 Freedom Ride to challenge with civil disobedience racial segregation on interstate busing."
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In the pacifist Fellowship ... (FOR), Rustin practiced nonviolence. He was a leading activist of the early 1947-1955 civil rights movements, helping to initiate a 1947 Freedom Ride to challenge with civil disobedience racial segregation on interstate busing."
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MABEL HAMPTON
"Mabel Hampton (May 2, 1902 – October 26, 1989) was an American lesbian activist, a dancer during the Harlem Renaissance, and a philanthropist for both black and lesbian/gay organizations
In the 1920s, Hampton danced in all-black Harlem Renaissance productions for notables, including Jackie "Mom" Mabley This artistic, political and cultural milieu provided Hampton access to other dancers, artists, and gays and lesbians.
With only her working-class income, Hampton managed to attend performances of the Negro Opera Company, as well as to contribute to the Martin Luther King Memorial Fund and, later, to gay and lesbian organizations."
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In the 1920s, Hampton danced in all-black Harlem Renaissance productions for notables, including Jackie "Mom" Mabley This artistic, political and cultural milieu provided Hampton access to other dancers, artists, and gays and lesbians.
With only her working-class income, Hampton managed to attend performances of the Negro Opera Company, as well as to contribute to the Martin Luther King Memorial Fund and, later, to gay and lesbian organizations."
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JAMES BALDWIN
"James Arthur Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic.
Baldwin's essays, such as the collection Notes of a Native Son (1955), explore palpable yet unspoken intricacies of racial, sexual and class distinctions in Western societies.
Baldwin returned to the United States in the summer of 1957 while the Civil Rights Act of that year was being debated in Congress. He had been powerfully moved by the image of a young girl braving a mob in an attempt to desegregate schools in Charlotte, N.C., and Partisan Review editor Philip Rahv had suggested he report on what was happening in the American south. Articles on the movement appeared in Mademoiselle, Harper's, the New York Times Magazine, and the New Yorker, where in 1962 he published the essay he called "Down at the Cross" and the New Yorker called "Letter from a Region of My Mind". Along with a shorter essay from The Progressive, the essay became The Fire Next Time"
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Andre Charles as RuPAUL
"RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960), best known as simply RuPaul, is an American actor, drag, model, author, and recording artist, who first became widely known in the 1990s when he appeared in a wide variety of television programs, films, and musical albums. Previously, he was a fixture on the Atlanta and New York City club scenes. Usually billed as RuPaul Charles, he has played men in a number of roles.
RuPaul is noted among drag queens for his indifference towards the gender specific pronouns used to address him—both "he" and "she" have been deemed acceptable, as he has said: "You can call me he. You can call me she. You can call me Regis and Kathy lee, I don't care! Just as long as you call me." He hosted a short-running talk show on VH1, and currently hosts the reality television show Rupauls Drag Race. "
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RuPaul is noted among drag queens for his indifference towards the gender specific pronouns used to address him—both "he" and "she" have been deemed acceptable, as he has said: "You can call me he. You can call me she. You can call me Regis and Kathy lee, I don't care! Just as long as you call me." He hosted a short-running talk show on VH1, and currently hosts the reality television show Rupauls Drag Race. "
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Staci M. Yandle
Staci Michelle Yandle (born 1961) is an Illinois attorney. She is a nominee to be a United States district judge of the district of Illinois. She was nominated by president Obama which is a breakthrough for queer history because Yandle, who, if confirmed, would become the second-ever out black lesbian federal judge.
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