penn students replace picture of shakespeare with one of audre lorde! :d

Some kickass students at the University of Pennsylvania are making waves after they replace a prominent photo of Shakespeare with the womanist thinker and revolutionary Audre Lorde in a Penn classroom building. Fisher-Bennett Hall, one of the main buildings for English and Humanities courses is known for its larger than life portrait of William Shakespeare displayed as soon as you walk through its heavy wooden doors. Several years ago, the English department voted to replace the picture, but have since missed the opportunity. Department chair Jed Esty said in an email to Penn’s student-run newspaper The Daily Pennsylvanian that “Students removed the Shakespeare portrait and delivered it to my office as a way of affirming their commitment to a more inclusive mission for the English department.” Esty also supported the notion that the image of Lorde will remain until the department reaches a decision about what to do with the space. Shoutout to these students for being the change they want to see on their campus and in the world!

By T. McLendon, AFROPUNK Contributor