Events

Tuesday, Feb 18  /  12–2 pm

Lerner Ramps

Stop by to write a poem or reflection celebrating the necessity of difference in our community in honor of Audre Lorde. Add to our community quilt of works inspired by her legacy. Open to all students.

Tuesday, Feb 18  /  6–8 pm

Lerner Broadway Room (2nd floor)

Register Here

In this workshop, we’ll investigate the work of Lorde, June Jordan, Ocean Vuong, and Walt Whitman to name a few. We’ll write to the present moment and explore how we can use language to interrogate our existing reality while building bridges to a new one. All creative mediums are welcome!

Facilitated by Felice Belle SEAS'97 – poet, playwright, educator, and former host of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe's Friday Night Slam.

Open to all students. Registration is encourage to reserve your spot, but not required.

Thursday, Feb 20 /  6:30—8pm

Lerner Satow Room (5th floor)

Register Here 

Dinner and Dialogue facilitated by the student facilitators of ROOTED (Respecting Ourselves and Other Through Empathy & Dialogue).  Part of the ROOTED Dialogue Series, this event invites all members of the Columbia community to engage in dynamic, peer-led dialogues about identity, oppression, and social responsibility. Dialogues in this series explore aspects of the Columbia experience through interactive techniques including reflective exercises, role-playing, literature, experiential exercises, games, videos and more. Through a variety of activities, students learn communication and conflict resolution strategies to find healthy ways to talk about differences and building a socially responsible community.

Open to all students. Registration is encourage to reserve your spot, but not required.

“But for every real word spoken, for every attempt I had ever made to speak those truths for which I am still seeking, I had made contact with other women while we examined the words to fit a world in which we all believed, bridging our differences.”

Friday, Feb 21  /  11:30am—5pm

Applications due Sunday, February 16, 11:59 p.m.

This annual summit brings together student leaders who are committed to justice, the amplification of silenced voices, and liberation. Acknowledging the exhaustion, heaviness, and pain that often comes with fighting injustice, we hope this will be an opportunity for students to come together and think creatively about how to sustain themselves and each other as they continue to enact their activism. Some topics we will explore include: exploring personal cost/ risk (time, safety, mental health); understanding intra/inter-community dynamics and working through conflict; challenges and opportunities while working in solidarity and building coalitions; and individual and group strategies to sustain the social change work. Open to all undergraduate students.

"There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle, because we do not lead single-issue lives. Our struggles are particular, but we are not alone. What we must do is commit ourselves to some future that can include each other and to work toward that future with the particular strengths of our individual identities.”

Friday, Feb 21 / 7-8:30pm

Lerner Hall, Wang Pavilion

Honoring Audre Lorde's belief in the power and necessity of poetry, we close Audre Lorde Week with an open mic night. Share your work, and support fellow creatives. Prizes will be awarded based on committee and audience choice.

Open to all students, advanced registration is not required.

Interested in performing?

You are encouraged to sign up by Friday, February 21, at 5:00 p.m., but walk-in's are welcomed. Performances should be 4-6 minutes in length and technically simple to accommodate the space. Sign up here!

"There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle, because we do not lead single-issue lives. Our struggles are particular, but we are not alone. What we must do is commit ourselves to some future that can include each other and to work toward that future with the particular strengths of our individual identities.”