Each of us is here now because in one way or another we
share a commitment to language and to the power of language,
and to the reclaiming of that language which has been made to
work against us. In the transformation of silence into language
and action, it is vitally necessary for each one of us to establish
Lorde originally gave this as a speech at the “Lesbian and Literature Panel of the MLA” in 1977. Here she is addressing her audience and what ties them together.
The Transformation of Silence Into Language and Action