Hunter College Names Its Crossroads After Audre Lorde

Hunter College President Jennifer J. Raab and New York City Council Member Keith Powers officially named the campus crossroads—Lexington Avenue at 68th Street—as “Audre Lorde Way,” honoring the legendary poet, essayist, activist, and Hunter alumna. Lorde (1934-1992), a graduate of both Hunter High School (1951) and Hunter College (1959), went on to serve as Thomas Hunter Distinguished Professor (1981-82) and then as a member of the Hunter English Department faculty until 1986.

One of the most influential writers of the late 20th century, Lorde was a New York State Poet Laureate, a powerful prose writer, and a fierce activist. During her tragically abbreviated but impactful career, she deployed her “arsenal” of words on behalf of civil rights, women’s rights, and LGBTQ rights, frequently elevating her sense of outrage into lyrical and hypnotic verse. In one of her most quoted lines, the self-described “Sister Outsider” memorably declared: “I am deliberate and afraid of nothing”—a credo the courageous Lorde demonstrated repeatedly in her 17 books and her lifelong battles for justice.

“It is a singular honor for Hunter College to commemorate one of its most distinguished and influential alumnae,” said President Raab at ceremonies inside Hunter West before the new street sign was unveiled outside on the West Plaza.