Hosted by Multicultural Affairs and supported by the Undergraduate Community Initiative, this week-long series honors the life, work, and teachings of Audre Lorde LS'60 and takes place annually during her birthday week. Programs and activities invite students to reflect on her writings and words as well as to engage with and apply her philosophies as actualized ways of being in community with each other while valuing difference. As she shared, "It is within our differences that we are both most powerful and most vulnerable, and some of the most difficult tasks of our lives are the claiming of differences and learning to use those differences for bridges rather than as barriers between us."
Year round, students can learn more about Audre Lorde by visiting the Audre Lorde Community Space in 505 Lerner, participating in Multicultural Affairs programs and dialogues inspired by her texts, and take courses that bring her work into the classroom.
This year, we explore the theme of RADICAL LOVE in Lorde's work as we center:
- deepening connections
- actively listening & learning
- encouraging questions
- challenging injustice
- enacting possibility
All events are open to all CC/SEAS undergraduates; most are open to all Columbia and Barnard students (see event descriptions). For disability accommodations, Multicultural Affairs seeks to create environments of access and affirmation for all bodies and minds. Please email multicultural@columbia.edu with your accessibility needs. We will do our best to accommodate all requests possible.
Saturday, February 14: Tour de Bookstore (NYC Outings)
10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. | Both tours depart from 505 Lerner | Register for the Romance Tour or the Resistance Tour (both in Brooklyn)
"I write because I am a warrior and my poetry is my primary weapon."
Join Multicultural Affairs for one of two staff-guided tours across New York City bookstores that are locally owned and center liberatory texts and underrepresented stories. Both tours are in Brooklyn, with our Romance Tour in Bushwick and our Resistance Tour in Cobble Hills and Carroll Gardens. Learn about their history and how they impact their local communities.
Metrocards will be provided. Limited space; registration is encouraged to reserve your spot, but not required. Open to Columbia College and Columbia Engineering undergraduate students.
Tuesday, February 17–Thursday, February 19: Community Art on the Ramps (Send a "radical love"-gram!)
12:00–2:00 p.m. | Lerner Ramps
“We have to consciously study how to be tender with each other until it becomes a habit because what was native has been stolen from us...But we can practice being gentle with ourselves by being gentle with each other. We can practice being gentle with each other by being gentle with that piece of ourselves that is hardest to hold...”
A radical love practice is an affirmation of the wholeness of ourselves and others. By being tender with those parts of ourselves that we sometimes hide for fear of shame, being cringe, or judgement, we allow ourselves space to be more complete. Celebrate yourself and others who’ve shown you the importance of radical love by being their most authentic selves.
Stop by Lerner Ramps to send a free “Radical Love”-gram to a friend, staff member, partner, or yourself! Or contribute to our community ALW 2026 community art project centered on affirmations.
Open to all students.
Wednesday afternoon, February 18: Free'd Between the Lines, A Zine & Creative Workshop
12:00–1:30 p.m. | Audre Lorde Community Space (Lerner 505)
Audre Lorde writes, “Poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundations for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before.” In times of turmoil, writers and artists bring us wisdom, beauty, and joy. Their words have the power to move us from grief and hopelessness to survival and growth.
In this hands-on workshop, we’ll explore zines as a medium of expression, liberation, and resistance. While learning more about the history and significance of zines, make your own!
Facilitated by Fannie Ouyang, Barnard Zine Library.
Open to all students.
Wednesday evening, February 18: The Lorde Ball, A Birthday Gayla
6:00–8:00 p.m. | Lerner 555 (5th floor)
Audre Lorde writes, “And that deep and irreplaceable knowledge of my capacity for joy comes to demand from all of my life that it be lived within the knowledge that such satisfaction is possible.”
During a time of general uncertainty, and a longing for togetherness, join us for an evening filled with community, refreshments, and joy as we celebrate Audre’s birthday!
At this Bridgerton-inspired birthday gayla and QTPOC & friends social, we encourage you to come wearing your Regency-era finest!
Open to all students.
Thursday, February 19: ROOTED Dinner + Dialogue
6:30–8:00 p.m. | John Jay Lounge | Register
“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."
The Dinner and Dialogue series is facilitated by the student facilitators of ROOTED (Respecting Ourselves and Other Through Empathy & Dialogue). These spaces invite all members of the Columbia community to engage in dynamic, peer-led dialogues about identity, power, and social responsibility.
This dialogue focuses on: "Selling Out, Going Broke, Wasting Potential: Navigating Judgments About Majors and Careers." We will explore how different social pressures shape expectations about our choice of major and career path, and how to navigate balancing core values, sense of identity, and the ever-present need to survive in this economy. This event is held in collaboration with Residential Life.
Open to all students. For CC/SEAS students, registration is encouraged to reserve your spot, but not required. Note that all non-CC/SEAS students must register for residence hall access.
Friday, February 20: Audre Lorde Summit (Student-led workshops about enacting "radical love" on campus)
12:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. | Audre Lorde Community Space (Lerner 505)
"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.”
This annual summit brings together student leaders who are committed to creating a just community, building coalitions, and the healing and liberation of all people. Hear from current student leaders who actively embody Radical Love in their community-centered work, and explore ways we can all bring hope, possibility, care, and action to our campus community.
| Start Times | Topics | Presenters |
|---|---|---|
| 12:30 p.m. | Encouraging Questions: What is Radical Love? Why Radical Love? | Multicultural Affairs Student Coordinators |
| 1:00 p.m. | Actively Listening & Learning: Join an interactive simulation exploring intercultural (mis)communication and connections | Global Ambassador Program coordinators |
| 2:00 p.m. | Challenging Injustice | Intercultural House residents |
| 3:00 p.m. | Deepening Connections: Learn how intergenerational connections and mentorship can facilitate care for self and community | Columbia Mentoring Initiative family tree chairs |
| 4:00 p.m. | Enacting Possibility: Bringing Radical Love to Our Community | Multicultural Affairs Student Coordinators |
Open to all undergraduate students.
