Fenway Women's Health Screens "Audre Lorde - The Berlin Years"

In honor of Women's History Month, the LOCS Collective Inc. has partnered up with Fenway Women's Health and Reel Sisters to screening "Audre Lorde - The Berlin Years 1984-1992" on March 29 in Boston.

"Audre Lorde was at the vanguard for thinking about the revolutionary meanings for being Black, lesbian and activist. She used her creative energy to address issues of homophobia, racism, and sexism, and her fearlessness in talking about oppression reminds us why we need to continue such work," said Shaunya Thomas of LOCS. "The LOCS Collective considers Lorde to be one of our luminaries, first to be a reminder of how far we've come and as a continual reminder for why the work we do must continue, even if such work causes discomfort, for it is in that discomfort that true progress is possible."

The film will be followed by Q&A with director Dagmar Schultz, and is co-sponsored by the Boundless Series at Fenway Health.

"Audre Lorde - The Berlin Years 1984-1992" documents Lorde's influence on the German political and cultural scene during a decade of profound social change, a decade that brought about the fall of the Berlin Wall and the re-unification of East and West Germany. This chronicles an untold chapter of Lorde's life: her empowerment of Afro-German women, as she challenged white women to acknowledge the significance of their white privilege and to deal with difference in constructive ways.

The relationship between Audre Lorde and Germany was mutually beneficial. During these years, Audre's diagnosis of terminal cancer left her American doctors without hope for her survival. Berlin became her third home where she received naturopathic treatment in part responsible for the next eight years of her life.

Bridging the Divide (BTD) is a monthly discussion that explores an array of topics that directly impact the LBTQ community. The BTD program was developed to create a safe space to educate and promote awareness of the issues we face, encourage conscious conversation, and empower our community to a greater well-being. BTD will be held on the third Friday of each month and is co-sponsored by Fenway Health's Women's Health Program. It is a free community event.

The Lesbians of Color Symposium (LOCS) Collective, Inc., is a non-profit organization founded in 2012, dedicated to the service and support of the lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer identified women of color and our allies. More specifically, we provide community and cultivate resources through advocacy, education, programming and networking.

Said Thomas of their heroine, "One of our favorite Lorde quotations is, 'When I dare to be powerful -- to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.' She helps us be powerful: yesterday, today and tomorrow."