to that piece in each of us that refuses to be silent.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of embracing and expressing our inner truths, even in the face of adversity.
Audre Lorde's quote, 'to that piece in each of us that refuses to be silent,' highlights the inherent strength within individuals to speak out against injustice and societal expectations. It calls for acknowledging and nurturing the voice that stands up for one's beliefs and authentic self, encouraging individuals to resist conforming to silence and instead advocate for their rights and identities.
In practice
During a speech at a rally advocating for civil rights.
The fact that we are here and that I speak these words is an attempt to break that silence and bridge some of those differences between us, for it is not difference which immobilizes us, but silence. And there are so many silences to be broken.
There is no thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.
There are no new ideas. There are only new ways of making them felt.
I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.
I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.
There's always someone asking you to underline one piece of yourself - whether it's Black, woman, mother, dyke, teacher, etc. - because that's the piece that they need to key in to. They want to dismiss everything else.
It was incomprehensible to me that someone who had never seen me before, someone who knew absolutely nothing about me, would want to inflict pain upon me for no other reason than the color of my skin.
If frightening sensations are not given the time and attention they need to move through the body and resolve or dissolve, the individual will continue to be gripped by fear.
The fixed determination to have acquired the warrior soul, to either conquer or perish with honor, is the secret of victory.
Don't ask the world to stop moving because you have doubts.
Little boldness is needed to assail the opinions and practices of notoriously wicked men; but to rebuke great and good men for their conduct, and to impeach their discernment, is the highest effort of moral courage.
At 13, I was fearless. I looked at everything so positive. When you're older and been through it all, you know how bad it can get. There is a fear of failing.
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