Learning from the 60s Summary and Analysis

In Learning from the 60s, Audre Lorde recalls some of her experiences during the 1960s and reflects upon what might be learned from the '60s in the context of the 1980s. The talk was given in 1982 at the Malcolm X Weekend at Harvard University. She focuses on Malcolm X's later years in the beginning of the essay, saying that he eventually got closer to understanding the complexities of social change than any other person she observed. Towards the end of his life, he changed his topic on various topics in a way that began to bridge the gap between himself and Martin Luther King. He broadened his opinions about women, became open to alliances, and began to become aware of the lingering effects of oppression that can lead oppressed groups to bicker rather than...