In a new anthology, the iconic writer reminds us liberation requires valuing all Black lives, not just those who mirror our own experiences — My first encounters with Audre Lorde were superficial. I read and heard her quoted across the internet and during speeches at protests. I saw words on everything from T-shirts to memes and poster boards. Then I read her work. I went deeper into her life as a mother, lover of…

Despite the all-too-real threat of maternal mortality, medical racism, and homophobia, I’m ready to be a Black, queer mom — When I’m making a choice about my own body, I often feel as if there are five other people in the room. My decision to pursue motherhood as a thirtysomething Black queer woman has been no different. Trying to conceive means I have to negotiate reproductive, gender, racial, and economic…

I’m Black, a woman and look younger than I am, so sometimes people mistake me for an unexperienced and unprepared person. Two white men made this mistake last week during the first of two talks I would give that day at Washington State University. In the middle of warming up…