For the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us to temporarily beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change.
Audre Lorde, (1934-1992) An American writer,
professor, philosopher, intersectional feminist,
poet, and civil rights activist.
Author of The Black Unicorn (a collection of her poetry)
“I want to lift up the fabulous, black, queer poet Audre Lorde. Who said ‘For the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house’. What that’s about is that the master’s tools are the whip, the lash, the violence, those are not going to be the tools that we use to create the new world. It can’t be. We have to use the love, and the singing, and the voice, and the togetherness, and the fearlessness, and the courage, and the joy. As Maya Angelou said ‘I don’t trust people who don’t laugh’. Laughter is an important part of the story.”
Benjamin Mertz is a musician, activist for social justice,
and Director of Diversity & Inclusion
for the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute (BECI).
He is also the founder and director of
Joyful Noise! Gospel Singers
