Pat Parker (born Patricia Cooks; January 20, 1944June 17, 1989) was an American poet and activist. Both her poetry and her activism drew from her experiences as an African-American lesbian

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

.Pat Parker. Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2002. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale Group, 2008 (http://www.galenet.com/servlet/BioRC). Entry Updated July 25, 2000 . Fee. Accessed December 27, 2008. Her poetry spoke about her tough childhood growing up in poverty, dealing with sexual assault, and the murder of a sister. At eighteen, Parker was in an abusive relationship and had a

miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion and pregnancy loss, is the death of an embryo or fetus before it is able to survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks of gestation is defined by ESHRE as biochemical lo ...

after being pushed down a flight of stairs. After two divorces she

came out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

as lesbian "embracing her sexuality" and said she was liberated and "knew no limits when it came to expressing the innermost parts of herself". Parker participated in political activism and had early involvement with the

Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a Marxist-Leninist and black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in October 1966 in Oakland, Califo ...

and Black Women's Revolutionary Council, and formed the

Women's Press Collective Judy Grahn (born July 28, 1940) is an American poet and author. Inspired by her experiences of disenfranchisement as a butch lesbian, she became a feminist poet, highly-regarded in underground circles before achieving public fame. A major influe ...

. She participated in many forms of activism especially regarding gay and lesbian communities, domestic violence, and rights of people of color. She released five poetry collections: ''Child of Myself'' (1972), ''Pit Stop'' (1975), '' Movement in Black'' (1978), ''Woman Slaughter'' (1978), and ''Jonestown and Other Madness'' (1985).

Early life

Pat was born on January 20, 1944, in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, to Marie Louise (née Anderson) and Ernest Nathaniel Cooks. Marie Louise worked as a

domestic worker A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...

and Ernest retreaded tires.De Veaux, Alexis. ''Warrior Poet: A Biography of Audre Lorde'', W. W. Norton & Company, 2004, , pp. 166–167. She was the youngest of four daughters. The family lived first in the Third Ward and then moved to the Sunnyside neighborhood when Parker was four years old. She left home at seventeen and moved to Los Angeles to attend college. She attended

Los Angeles City College Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campus ...

and also was enrolled in

San Francisco State College San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...

from 1966 to 1967 but did not graduate. (In an NEA application for 1988, Parker writes that she studied at San Francisco State University in Creative Writing but did not attain a degree.) She married playwright

Ed Bullins Edward Artie Bullins (July 2, 1935November 13, 2021), sometimes publishing as Kingsley B. Bass Jr, was an American playwright. He won awards including the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award and several Obie Awards. Bullins was associated with ...

in 1962.Alexander, Ilene 1998.
/ref> Parker and Bullins separated after four years. She later said that her ex-husband was physically violent and that she was "scared to death".Cornwell, Anita. ''Pat Parker -- Black Lesbian Poet Radical Pioneer author of Movement in Black'', Hera Magazine, 1975, quoted i

/ref> She married Robert F. Parker, writer and publisher, but decided that the "idea of marriage... wasn't working" for her. She began to identify as a

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

in the late 1960s, and, in a 1975 interview with

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

stated: "after my first relationship with a woman, I knew where I was going."

Career

Parker worked from 1978 to 1988 as the executive director of the Oakland Feminist Women's Health Center. Parker was involved in the Black Panther Movement, in 1979 she toured with the "Varied Voices of Black Women", a group of poets and musicians that included

Linda Tillery Linda may refer to: As a name * Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named) * Linda (singer) (born 1977), stage name of Svetlana Geiman, a Russian singer * Anita Linda (born Alice Lake ...

, Mary Watkins, and Gwen Avery. She founded the Black Women's Revolutionary Council in 1980, and she also contributed to the formation of the Women's Press Collective, as well as being involved in wide-ranging activism in gay and lesbian organizing. Pat Parker was asked by her father to take "the freedom train of education," Parker moved to Oakland California, in the early 1970s to pursue writing and potential opportunities for activist work. Pat Parker worked from 1978 to 1987 as a medical coordinator at the Oakland Feminist Women's Health Center, which Parker helped to expand. Parker also participated in political activism and had early involvement with the

, Black Women's Revolutionary Council and formed the

."Pat Parker, Black lesbian poet and activist well worth knowing"
Peterson Toscano, March 7, 2015. Parker participated in many forms of activism especially regarding gay and lesbian communities,

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

, and rights of

people of color The term "person of color" ( : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the U ...

.Pat Parker Biography
Voices from the Gaps.

Writing

Parker gave her first public poetry reading in 1963 in Oakland. In 1968, she began to read her poetry to women's groups at women's bookstores, coffeehouses and feminist events.

Judy Grahn Judy Grahn (born July 28, 1940) is an American poet and author. Inspired by her experiences of disenfranchisement as a butch lesbian, she became a feminist poet, highly-regarded in underground circles before achieving public fame. A major influe ...

, a fellow poet and a personal friend, identifies Pat Parker's poetry as a part of the "continuing Black tradition of radical poetry".

Cheryl Clarke Cheryl L. Clarke (born Washington DC, May 16, 1947) is an American lesbian poet, essayist, educator and a Black feminist community activist who continues to dedicate her life to the recognition and advancement of Black and Queer people. Her schol ...

, another poet and peer, identifies her as a "lead voice and caller" in the world of lesbian poetry. Designed to confront both black and women's communities with, as Clarke notes, "the precariousness of being non-white, non-male, non-heterosexual in a racist, misogynist, homophobic, imperial culture. Clarke believes that Parker articulates, "a black lesbian-feminist perspective of love between women and the circumstances that prevent our intimacy and liberation."Clarke, Cheryl. Review of ''Movement in Black'' in '' Conditions'' Six, Summer 1980, pp. 217–225. Parker and

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 ...

first met in 1969 and continued to exchange letters and visits until Parker's death in 1989. Their collaboration inspired many, including lesbian-feminist blues/R&B singer

Nedra Johnson Nedra Johnson (born July 27, 1966) is an American rhythm and blues and jazz singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She has performed internationally at jazz, blues, pride and women's music festivals as a solo artist, a tuba player, and voc ...

, whose song "Where Will You Be?" has become something of a feminist anthem in the USA.

and Pat Parker shared common themes within poetry they wrote as well. Audre Lorde's piece "The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action" talks extensively about action through language, a similar concept seen in Pat Parker's "Where will you be".

''Womanslaughter''

Parker's elder sister, Shirley Jones, was shot and killed by her husband. Parker wrote the autobiographical poem, ''Womanslaughter'' (1978), based on this event. In the poem, Parker notes that :Her things were his :including her life. The perpetrator was convicted of "womanslaughter", not murder, because :Men cannot kill their wives. :They passion them to death. He served a one-year sentence in a work-release program. Parker brought this crime to the

International Tribunal on Crimes against Women The International Tribunal on Crimes against Women was a people's tribunal which took place on March 4–8, 1976 in Brussels.Doughty, Frances. ''lesbians and International Women's Year: A Report on Three Conferences'', in ''Our Right to Love: A Les ...

in 1976 in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, vowing :I will come to my sisters :not dutiful, :I will come strong. In 2014, the small independent press Ra'av (Hebrew for Hunger) published a wide selection of Parker's work in Israel. The three translators Yael "belly" Levi-Hazan, Yael (yali) Dekel and Hani Kavdiel succeeded in channeling Parker's work in Hebrew. The book became an instant hit, gaining the love of critics and readers alike.

Death

Parker died on June 19, 1989, of

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

at the age 45 in Oakland, California. The national lesbian-feminist community mourned her loss, and several things have been named after her, such as Pat Parker Place, a community center in Chicago. She was survived by her long-time partner, Marty Dunham, and her daughters Cassidy Brown and Anastasia Jean.

Tributes

The Pat Parker/Vito Russo Center Library
in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

is named in honor of Parker and fellow writer,

Vito Russo Vito Russo (July 11, 1946 – November 7, 1990) was an American LGBT activist, film historian, and author. He is best remembered as the author of the book ''The Celluloid Closet'' (1981, revised edition 1987), described in ''The New York Time ...

. The Pat Parker Poetry Award is awarded each year for a

free verse Free verse is an open form of poetry, which in its modern form arose through the French ''vers libre'' form. It does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any musical pattern. It thus tends to follow the rhythm of natural speech. Definit ...

narrative poem Narrative poetry is a form of poetry that tells a story, often using the voices of both a narrator and characters; the entire story is usually written in metered verse. Narrative poems do not need rhyme. The poems that make up this genre may be s ...

dramatic monologue Dramatic monologue is a type of poetry written in the form of a speech of an individual character. M.H. Abrams notes the following three features of the ''dramatic monologue'' as it applies to poetry: Types of dramatic monologue One of the mo ...

by a black lesbian poet. In 2004, composer

Awilda Villarini Awilda M. Villarini-Garcia (born 6 February 1940) is a Puerto Rican composer and pianist who publishes and performs under the name "Awilda Villarini." Villarini was born in Patillas. Her first piano teacher was her mother, who was a church orga ...

used Parker's text for her song "Dialogue." In June 2019, Parker was one of the inaugural fifty American "pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes" inducted on the

National LGBTQ Wall of Honor The National LGBTQ Wall of Honor is an American memorial wall in New York City dedicated to LGBTQ "pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes." The wall is located inside of the Stonewall Inn and is a part of the Stonewall National Monument, the first U. ...

within the

Stonewall National Monument Stonewall National Monument is a U.S. national monument in the West Village neighborhood of Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The designated area includes the Stonewall Inn, the Christopher Park, and nearby streets including ...

(SNM) in

Stonewall Inn The Stonewall Inn, often shortened to Stonewall, is a gay bar and recreational tavern in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City, and the site of the Stonewall riots of 1969, which is widely considered to be the s ...

. The SNM is the first

U.S. national monument In the United States, a national monument is a protected area that can be created from any land owned or controlled by the federal government by proclamation of the President of the United States or an act of Congress. National monuments prot ...

dedicated to

LGBTQ rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 33 ...

and

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

, and the wall's unveiling was timed to take place during the 50th anniversary of the

Stonewall riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous protests by members of the gay community in response to a police raid that began in the early morning hours of Ju ...

Works

"Pat Parker, Where Will You Be"
YouTube.

Books

*''Child of Myself'' (1972), ''The Women's Press Collective'' *''Pit Stop'' (1973), ''The Women's Press Collective'' *''Womanslaughter'' (1978), ''Diana Press'' *'' Movement in Black'' (1978), ''Diana Press'' *''Jonestown & Other Madness'' (1989),

Firebrand Books Firebrand Books is a publishing house established in 1984 by Nancy K. Bereano---a lesbian/feminist activist in Ithaca, NY. Karen Oosterhouse, publisher since 2003, describes Firebrand as "the independent publisher of record for feminist and les ...

*''Movement in Black: The Collected Poetry of Pat Parker, 1961–1978;'' includes work from ''Child of Myself'' and ''Pit Stop'', foreword by Audre Lorde, introduction by Judy Grahn, Diana Press (Oakland, California), 1978, expanded edition, introduction by Cheryl Clarke, Firebrand Books (Ithaca, New York), 1999

Non-fiction

* ''Unleashing Feminism: Critiquing Lesbian Sadomasochism in the Gay Nineties'' (1993) (with

Anna Livia Julian Brawn Anna Livia (born Anna Livia Julian Brawn; 13 November 1955 – 5 August 2007) was a lesbian feminist author and linguist, well known for her fiction and non-fiction regarding sexuality. From 1999 until shortly before the time of her death she wa ...

and Kathy Miriam)

Select anthologies

*''Amazon Poetry: An Anthology of Lesbian Poetry'' (1975) *''Where Would I Be Without You? The Poetry of Pat Parker and Judy Grahn'', 1976 Sound Recording

Olivia Records Olivia Records is a women's music record label founded in 1973 by lesbian members of the Washington D.C. area. It was founded by Ginny Berson, Cris Williamson, Meg Christian, Judy Dlugacz, and six other women. Olivia Records sold more than one ...

*''Lesbian Concentrate''. Sound Recording, 1977, Olivia Records *"Revolution: It's Not Neat or Pretty or Quick" in

Cherríe Moraga Cherríe Moraga (born September 25, 1952) is a Chicana writer, feminist activist, poet, essayist, and playwright. She is part of the faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara in the Department of English. Moraga is also a founding m ...

and

Gloria Anzaldúa Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkin ...

(eds), ''

This Bridge Called My Back ''This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color'' is a feminist anthology edited by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria E. Anzaldúa, first published in 1981 by Persephone Press. The second edition was published in 1983 by Kitchen Tabl ...

'', Watertown, Massachusetts: Persephone Press, 1981. *''

Home Girls ''Home Girls: A Black Feminist Anthology'' (1983) is a collection of Black lesbian and Black feminist essays, edited by Barbara Smith. The anthology includes different accounts from 32 black women of feminist ideology who come from a variety of d ...

: A Black Feminist Anthology'' (1983) *''I Never Told Anyone: Writings by Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse'' (1991) *Plexus

References

Sources

* McEwen, Christian, editor, ''Naming the Waves: Contemporary Lesbian Poetry'', Virago (New York City), 1988. * Moraga, Cherríe, and Gloria Anzaldúa, ''This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color'', Women of Color Press, 1981. * Parker, Pat, ''Jonestown and Other Madness'', Firebrand Books, 1985. * Parker, Pat, ''Movement in Black: The Collected Poetry of Pat Parker, 1961–1978'', foreword by Audre Lorde, introduction by Judy Grahn, Diana Press (Oakland, California), 1978, expanded edition, introduction by Cheryl Clarke, Firebrand Books (Ithaca, New York), 1999. * ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

'', March 15, 1999, p. 1279. * ''

Callaloo Callaloo (many spelling variants, such as kallaloo, calaloo, calalloo, calaloux or callalloo; ) is a popular Caribbean vegetable dish. There are many variants across the Caribbean, depending on the availability of local vegetables. The main in ...

'', Winter 1986, pp. 259–62. * ''Colby Library Quarterly'' (Waterville, ME), March 1982, pp. 9–25. * ''Conditions: Six'', 1980, p. 217. * ''

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. ...

'', Spring 1990, pp. 4–7. * ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'', July 1985, p. 77. * ''Margins'', Vol. 23, 1987, pp. 60–61. * ''Women's Review of Books'', April 1986, pp. 17–19. * Blain, Virginia, Patricia Clements, and Isobel Grundy. ''The Feminist Companion to Literature in English: Women Writers from the Middle Ages to the Present''. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 1990: 833. * Oktenberg, Adrian. In ''Women's Review of Books'' (Wellesley, Massachusetts), April 1986: 17–19. * Ridinger, Robert B. Marks. "Pat Parker", in ''Gay & Lesbian Literature''. Detroit, Michigan: St. James Press, 1994: 289–290.

External links

Papers of Pat ParkerSchlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University. {{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Pat 1944 births 1989 deaths American feminist writers American lesbian writers LGBT African Americans LGBT people from Texas African-American feminists Members of the Black Panther Party Los Angeles City College alumni Activists from Houston San Francisco State University alumni Deaths from breast cancer Deaths from cancer in California African-American women writers Lesbian feminists Radical feminists 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American poets African-American poets American women poets Women's music Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Poetry winners American LGBT poets Activists from Oakland, California