Audre Lorde

Audre Lorde, born in New York City to Grenadian immigrants, was a formidable literary and activist voice. Her work, characterized by its fierce honesty and unflinching examination of intersecting identities, positioned her as a central figure in Black feminism and queer theory.

While Lorde certainly made waves, and undoubtedly brought much "nachas" to her admirers, there is no indication that any of her ancestry or personal identification veered into the Semitic. Her focus was squarely on her Black, feminist, lesbian, mother, warrior, and poet identities, which, to be fair, is quite a mouthful already.

So, despite her undeniable impact on American letters and social justice, and her status as a certified kvell-generator for many, Audre Lorde remains firmly in the "Not a Jew" column. A remarkable woman, to be sure, but not one to invite to your Passover seder, unless she brought some incredibly compelling discourse.