Anita Cornwell (born September 23, 1923) is an American

lesbian feminist Lesbian feminism is a cultural movement and critical perspective that encourages women to focus their efforts, attentions, relationships, and activities towards their fellow women rather than men, and often advocates lesbianism as the logica ...

author. In 1983 she wrote the first collection of essays by an African-American lesbian, ''Black Lesbian in White America''.

Biography

Born in Greenwood,

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, Cornwell moved to

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

at the age of 16, living first in Yeadon with her aunt, then in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

with her mother, who moved north when Cornwell was aged 18. Cornwell has one sibling, an older brother. She graduated from

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

with a B.S. in journalism and the social sciences in 1948. She worked as a journalist for local newspapers and a clerical worker for government agencies. Cornwell's early writings, published in '' The Ladder'' and ''

The Negro Digest The ''Negro Digest'', later renamed ''Black World'', was a magazine for the African-American market. Founded in November 1942 by publisher John H. Johnson of Johnson Publishing Company, ''Negro Digest'' was first published locally in Chicago, Illi ...

'' in the 1950s, were among the first to identify the author as a black lesbian, and other publications where her work has appeared include ''

Feminist Review ''Feminist Review'' is a triannual peer-reviewed academic journal with a focus on exploring gender in its multiple forms and interrelationships. The journal was established in 1979. It is published by SAGE Publishing and is edited by a collective. ...

'', ''Labyrinth'', ''National Leader'', and the ''

Los Angeles Free Press The ''Los Angeles Free Press'', also called the "''Freep''", is often cited as the first, and certainly was the largest, of the underground newspapers of the 1960s. The ''Freep'' was founded in 1964 by Art Kunkin, who served as its publisher unti ...

''. Published on October 1, 1983, Cornwell's first book ''Black Lesbian in White America'', which includes her essays and an interview with activist

Audre Lorde Audre Lorde (; born Audrey Geraldine Lorde; February 18, 1934 – November 17, 1992) was an American writer, womanist, radical feminist, professor, and civil rights activist. She was a self-described "black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet," who ...

, is widely noted as the first collection of essays by a black lesbian. Cornwell was honored by the Annual Lambda Literary Festival, which was held in Philadelphia in 2000.

Bibliography

* ''Black Lesbian in White America'' (essays,

Naiad Press Naiad Press (1973–2003) was an American publishing company, one of the first dedicated to lesbian literature. At its closing it was the oldest and largest lesbian/feminist publisher in the world. History Naiad Press was founded by partners Barb ...

, 1983) * ''The Girls of Summer'' (young-adult novel, 1989)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornwell, Anita 1923 births African-American women writers African-American writers American feminist writers African-American feminists LGBT African Americans Lesbian feminists American lesbian writers American LGBT rights activists LGBT people from South Carolina Living people Temple University alumni Political activists from Pennsylvania Writers from Philadelphia People from Greenwood, South Carolina 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century LGBT people 20th-century African-American women