Heidi R. Lewis > Quotes

“People who are situated as Black, women, queer, and/or of color often experience resistance from audiences when we dare to honor our expertise. When people struggle to engage with us as knowers, it’s challenging. It’s not always insurmountable, but sometimes we just retreat.”
― Heidi R. Lewis, In Audre’s Footsteps: Transnational Kitchen Table Talk

“While I have never intended for my work to mimic Audre’s, the first part of the title acknowledges the ways I am indebted to and aim to honor her legacy.”
― Heidi R. Lewis, In Audre’s Footsteps: Transnational Kitchen Table Talk

“I think we have to think more transnationally about racism in order to build solidarity.”
― Heidi R. Lewis, In Audre’s Footsteps: Transnational Kitchen Table Talk

“I had to learn how to not be perpetually grateful to Colorado College. Eventually, my attitude flipped to one of, “You ought to be grateful to have me.” But, once you adopt that attitude, you realize that’s when they turn on you. You have to be prepared for them to respond, “How dare you?”
― Heidi R. Lewis, In Audre’s Footsteps: Transnational Kitchen Table Talk

“No shits taken. No shits given.”
― Heidi R. Lewis, In Audre’s Footsteps: Transnational Kitchen Table Talk

“When I first started articulating my interest in Berlin, some people weren’t exactly curious about it. They were puzzled. “Berlin? What’s in Berlin?” with their ill-informed expectation being I would be more interested in Paris, London, or Rome. But that didn’t concern me. As with most things in my life, I knew it would make sense to them eventually. Or it wouldn’t. And that would be okay, too. Because it made (and still makes) sense to me.”
― Heidi R. Lewis, In Audre’s Footsteps: Transnational Kitchen Table Talk

“But these institutions are forcing these students out, making them choose between the program and their well-being. I wouldn’t have made it through my program had it normalized traumatizing students. It was the sense of community within my program that allowed me to continue.”
― Heidi R. Lewis, In Audre’s Footsteps: Transnational Kitchen Table Talk

“Holding space for one another without losing our sense of self in doing so is so important.”
― Heidi R. Lewis, In Audre’s Footsteps: Transnational Kitchen Table Talk

“I feel like that’s the life cycle, for us to become the older people who say, annoyed, “these kids today,” but who also say, “these kids today” in awe.”
― Heidi R. Lewis, In Audre’s Footsteps: Transnational Kitchen Table Talk