Logo for InfluenceWatch InfluenceWatch

Donate
Non-profit

Audre Lorde Project

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

The Audre Lorde Project (ALP) is a community organizing center for left-progressive activists of ethnic minority backgrounds who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, “two-spirit,” transgender, or gender nonconforming. The Project operates primarily in New York City and has an office in Brooklyn. 1

History

In 1994, a network of HIV activists called Advocates for Gay Men of Color founded Audre Lorde Project. In 1996, the Project moved into the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. 2

Audre Lorde, the project’s namesake, was Black lesbian writer born to Caribbean immigrants in 1934 who was named Poet Laureate of New York State in 1991. 3 Lorde referred to America as a “racist cauldron.” Lorde also allegedly abused and sexually harassed some of her romantic partners. 4

Initiatives

Audre Lorde Project trains left-of-center activists and develops leaders. Members of ALP also participate in activism, including disruptive “direct action” events. 5 In November 2018, ALP released a statement opposing a proposed Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) policy to define sex as either male or female and recognize people according to their birth sex, rather than their self-identification. 6

Training

ALP trains activists in a wide range of activities. These include trainings on building protests, fundraising and resource organizing strategies, and interpreting and translating in support of left-of-center social justice causes. 789

Programs

ALP describes its Safe OUTside the System Collective as an anti-violence program that relies on community intervention, rather than law enforcement, to solve issues of even violent crime. The Collective publishes a “Safe Party Toolkit” with strategies to prevent violence at events. 10 These include asking people to limit alcohol and drug use and avoiding sudden movements when attempting to de-escalate violent encounters. The toolkit also includes instructions for preventing police from arresting party attendees engaged in illegal activities. 11

TransJustice, ALP’s program for transgender individuals, advocates for health care that validates the identities of transgender people  and pushes for expanded HIV treatment services. It also promotes increased access to employment, housing, and education for transgender individuals. 12

ALP also organizes 3rd Space, a support program for LGBT people who have struggled to find employment or education, have health issues, or are illegal immigrants. 13 The Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP) is an ALP “ally” organization 14 that provides resources for LGBT individuals of ethnic minority or low-income backgrounds. 15

Leadership

Cleopatra Acquaye-Reynolds works as co-director of Audre Lorde Project. A child of Ghanaian immigrants and self-described “femmeboiant [sic] gender non-conforming queer,” Acquaye-Reynolds prioritizes issues related to LGBT access to education. 16 Maxwell Scales, another ALP co-director, works on resource organizing and financial sustainability. Before joining ALP, Scales worked with left-of-center organizations including Lambda Legal, the Brennan Center for Justice, and GLAAD. 17

Kerbie Joseph coordinates the SOS Collective at ALP. Joseph also works as a community organizer for the ANSWER Coalition and has been extensively involved in left-wing anti-police activism. 18

Lolan Buhain Sevilla sits on the ALP board. Sevilla also works as senior manager of political education and leadership development at the NYC Anti-Violence Project, an LGBT organization, and previously worked for ALP and a variety of other left-of-center organizations. 19

Financials

Audre Lorde Project received $883,066 in contributions in 2018, and just over $1 million in 2017. 20 Between 2011 and 2016, the Project received between $400,000 and $800,000 per year. Since 2011, ALP has allocated up to 20 percent of its funds to executive compensation and 30-40 percent to other employee compensation. 21 ALP solicits donations through its website. 22

In 2020, Audre Lorde Project received a grant over “six figures” from Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 23

References

  1. The Audre Lorde Project. Accessed November 12, 2020 https://alp.org
  2. About ALP, The Audre Lorde Project. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://alp.org/about
  3. About Audre Lorde, The Audre Lorde Project. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://alp.org/about/audre
  4. Thomas Glave, “To Hell With The Goddess: In Celebration of the Human Person Audre Lorde,” Feminist Wire, February 19, 2014. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://thefeministwire.com/2014/02/to-hell-with-the-goddess-in-celebration-of-the-human-person-audre-lorde/
  5. Programs, The Audrey Lorde Project. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://alp.org/programs
  6. “We Won’t Be Erased: The Audre Lorde Project’s Statement On The Health And Human Services’ Proposed Definition Of Sex,” The Audre Lorde Project, November 2, 2018. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://alp.org/media/statements/we-wont-be-erased-audre-lorde-projects-statement-health-and-human-services-proposed
  7.              Virtual Community Safety Training, The Audre Lorde Project, June 23, 2020. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://alp.org/events/virtual-community-safety-training
  8.        Fundraising Training, The Audre Lorde Project, May 19, 2020. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://alp.org/events/fundraising-training
  9.        Interpreting For Social Justice, The Audrey Lorde Project, November 2, 2019. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://alp.org/interpreters
  10.          Safe OUTside The System (SOS), The Audre Lorde Project. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://alp.org/programs/sos
  11.           Safer Party Toolkit, The Audre Lorde Project. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxlqoamGVS6lMV9oSy0zNGlYNEE/view
  12. TransJustice, The Audre Lorde Project. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://alp.org/programs/transjustice
  13. 3rd Space, The Audre Lorde Project. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://alp.org/programs/3rd-space
  14. Contact Us/Our Staff And Board, The Audre Lorde Project. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://alp.org/contact-us
  15. About SRLP, Sylvia Rivera Law Project. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://srlp.org/about/
  16.             Contact Us/Our Staff And Board, The Audre Lorde Project. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://alp.org/contact-us
  17. Contact Us/Our Staff And Board, The Audre Lorde Project. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://alp.org/contact-us
  18. Contact Us/Our Staff And Board, The Audre Lorde Project. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://alp.org/contact-us
  19.    Contact Us/Our Staff And Board, The Audre Lorde Project. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://alp.org/contact-us
  20. The Audre Lorde Project Inc., Internal Revenue Service. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/61502452/07_2019_prefixes_01-06%2F061502452_201806_990_2019073016530508
  21. Audre Lorde Project Inc., ProPublica. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/61502452/07_2019_prefixes_01-06%2F061502452_201806_990_2019073016530508
  22. ALP Grassroots Fundraising, The Audrey Lorde Project. Accessed November 12, 2020. https://alp.org/index.php?q=civicrm/contribute/transact&reset=1&id=5
  23. Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation. “BLACK LIVES MATTER 2020 IMPACT REPORT.” Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, 2021. https://blacklivesmatter.com/2020-impact-report/
  See an error? Let us know!