Letter to Audre Lorde
Item
CLAGS: The Graduate School and University Center
Center for Lesbian of The City University of New York
and Gay Studies
Director:
Martin Duberman
Ph.D. Program in History
(212) 642-2110
Treasurer; Dear Audre Lorde,
Joseph Wittreich
Ph.D. Program in English
33 West 42 Street
New York, N.Y 10036-8099
FAX 212 642-2642
February 6, 1992
(212) 642-2206/07 The Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies became an official
center of the CUNY Graduate School last April, end At our
inaugural event this past October (co-chaired by Adrienne Rich
and Alice Walker) we were able to announce a gift from David R.
Kessler to endow the annual Kessler lecture to be given each year
by "a leading figure in gay/lesbian life and thought."
It is our great pleasure to invite you to be the inaugural
Kessler honoree. You were the unanimous first choice of CLAGS'
Kessler Committee. The lecture would take place on November 20,
1992, and would carry a fee/award of $2,000. We hope you will be
able to accept.
If you do, our plan would be to surround the event with
something like a citywide celebration of the life and work of
Audre Lorde. The Kessler lecture (and reception) would be the
centerpiece, but both Marcellus Blount,
« Ce“Ggs
Studies at Col cia and Allan Brick,
chair of African-American
aay) of the English
Department at Hunter, have already expressed enthusiasm for
joining in honoring you. We would talk as well to Marilyn Young
at NYU about possibilities there.
You have been remarkable inspiration to legions of people
‘
and we hope this planned celebration will do you proper honor.
We are enclosing materials about CLAGS which will
familiarize you with our plans and vision, but we went to stress
that we are a multicultural institution, committed to gender
parity in all our operations and guided by feminist principles.
We deeply hope to have a positive response from you.
Center for Lesbian of The City University of New York
and Gay Studies
Director:
Martin Duberman
Ph.D. Program in History
(212) 642-2110
Treasurer; Dear Audre Lorde,
Joseph Wittreich
Ph.D. Program in English
33 West 42 Street
New York, N.Y 10036-8099
FAX 212 642-2642
February 6, 1992
(212) 642-2206/07 The Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies became an official
center of the CUNY Graduate School last April, end At our
inaugural event this past October (co-chaired by Adrienne Rich
and Alice Walker) we were able to announce a gift from David R.
Kessler to endow the annual Kessler lecture to be given each year
by "a leading figure in gay/lesbian life and thought."
It is our great pleasure to invite you to be the inaugural
Kessler honoree. You were the unanimous first choice of CLAGS'
Kessler Committee. The lecture would take place on November 20,
1992, and would carry a fee/award of $2,000. We hope you will be
able to accept.
If you do, our plan would be to surround the event with
something like a citywide celebration of the life and work of
Audre Lorde. The Kessler lecture (and reception) would be the
centerpiece, but both Marcellus Blount,
« Ce“Ggs
Studies at Col cia and Allan Brick,
chair of African-American
aay) of the English
Department at Hunter, have already expressed enthusiasm for
joining in honoring you. We would talk as well to Marilyn Young
at NYU about possibilities there.
You have been remarkable inspiration to legions of people
‘
and we hope this planned celebration will do you proper honor.
We are enclosing materials about CLAGS which will
familiarize you with our plans and vision, but we went to stress
that we are a multicultural institution, committed to gender
parity in all our operations and guided by feminist principles.
We deeply hope to have a positive response from you.
Title
Letter to Audre Lorde
Description
The letter dated February 6, 1992, from CLAGS is addressed to Audre Lorde and invites her to be the first recipient of CLAGS’ annual Kessler award. The Kessler award, given by CLAGS each year since its sophomore year in 1992, was created with an endowment by Doctor David R. Kessler to award “a leading figure in gay/lesbian life and thought.” The recipient of the Kessler award is invited to give a lecture. Audre Lorde was a much celebrated black, lesbian, and feminist icon, who taught at multiple CUNY colleges throughout the 1970s and 1980s. She helped to create John Jay’s Black studies department and went on to become the distinguished Thomas Hunter chair at Hunter College. While it is unclear if any version of this draft was ever sent, the first Kessler award was ultimately awarded to Joan Nestle. Lorde passed away from breast cancer on November 17, 1992, just three days before the Kessler award ceremony had been scheduled.
Although formally instituted at the CUNY Graduate Center in 1991, CLAGS: The Center for LGBTQ Studies was first conceived 5 years earlier by Martin, Duberman, one of the first historians to embrace the, then infantile, field of Queer Studies. Duberman sensed the need for a formal center devoted to queer research. As the first university-based center for LGBTQ research, CLAGS continues to demonstrate its dedication to advancing Queer Studies, by hosting public events showcasing queer research and sponsoring fellowships to support queer scholars. Among its many notable contributions, CLAGS annually puts on at least one major conference and holds the Kessler Award Lecture every fall to celebrate a queer scholar who has made a notable contribution to the field of queer studies.
Although formally instituted at the CUNY Graduate Center in 1991, CLAGS: The Center for LGBTQ Studies was first conceived 5 years earlier by Martin, Duberman, one of the first historians to embrace the, then infantile, field of Queer Studies. Duberman sensed the need for a formal center devoted to queer research. As the first university-based center for LGBTQ research, CLAGS continues to demonstrate its dedication to advancing Queer Studies, by hosting public events showcasing queer research and sponsoring fellowships to support queer scholars. Among its many notable contributions, CLAGS annually puts on at least one major conference and holds the Kessler Award Lecture every fall to celebrate a queer scholar who has made a notable contribution to the field of queer studies.
Contributor
CLAGS
Creator
Duberman, Martin
Date
February 6, 1992
Language
English
Rights
Copyrighted
Source
CLAGS Archive
Original Format
Correspondence
Duberman, Martin. Letter. “Letter to Audre Lorde.”, CUNY DIGITAL HISTORY ARCHIVE, accessed March 10, 2026, https://stephenz.tailc22a4b.ts.net/s/cdha/item/1286