Pat Parker

For the football player, see Pat Parker (footballer). For the baseball player, see Pat Parker (baseball).
Pat Parker
Born
Patricia Cooks

(1944-01-20)January 20, 1944
Houston, Texas, U.S.
DiedJune 17, 1989(1989-06-17) (aged 45)
Oakland, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Poet
  • activist
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1962; div. 1966)​
Robert F. Parker
​
​
(m. 1966, divorced)​
PartnerMarty Dunham
Children2
Notes

Pat Parker (born Patricia Cooks; January 20, 1944 – June 17, 1989)[2] was an African American poet and activist. Both her poetry and her activism drew from her experiences as a Black lesbian feminist.[3][4] Her poetry spoke about her tough childhood growing up in poverty, dealing with sexual assault, and the murder of a sister.[5] At eighteen, Parker was in an abusive relationship and had a miscarriage after being pushed down a flight of stairs.[5] After two divorces, she came out as a lesbian, "embracing her sexuality" and said she was liberated and "knew no limits when it came to expressing the innermost parts of herself".[5]

Parker participated in political activism and had early involvement with the Black Panther Party and Black Women's Revolutionary Council, and formed the Women's Press Collective.[6] She participated in many forms of activism especially regarding gay and lesbian communities, domestic violence, reproductive rights, civil rights and anti-racism.[7] She released five poetry collections: Child of Myself (1972), Pit Stop (1975), Movement in Black (1978), Womanslaughter (1978), and Jonestown and Other Madness (1985).

  1. ^ Pat Parker Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 19. Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale Group, 2008 (http://www.galenet.com/servlet/BioRC). Fee. Accessed December 27, 2008.
  2. ^ "dcpl_blade_1989-06-23_00003 | DC Public Library". digdc.dclibrary.org. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  3. ^ Bereano, Nancy K. Publisher's note, Movement in Black, 1989, Crossing Press, ISBN 0-89594-113-9
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ a b c "Rebel Girls from Bay Area History: Pat Parker, Lesbian Feminist Poet and Activist". KQED. April 30, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).