Overview: The article discusses the limitations of using the tools of those in power to mitigate and/or eliminate oppression, as highlighted by Audre Lorde in her 1979 speech and 1984 essay. The author argues that using the “Master’s Tools” will never lead to “true liberation and change,” and instead, we must “reject the systems and structures that uphold power imbalances and instead create our own tools and methods for dismantling them.” The article then introduces Dr. Ayanna Marie Amoke Blackmon-Balogun’s racial liberation model, which offers a pathway to reimagine what true freedom can look like for oppressed individuals.
S.E. Williams
On October 28, 1979 famed poet, activist and scholar Audre Lorde delivered a speech where she articulated a profound truth, “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House”.
Despite this meaningful advice, many in the Black community continue to use the tools we’ve been brainwashed to believe hold the solution to what ails us as a people.
We are at a loss each time the winds of change blow new life into the smoldering embers of racism just below the surface that then burst into devastating conflagrations that stall the progress of Black individuals, erodes the viability of Black communities and turns dreams for Black children and grandchildren into nightmares of a future filled with continued racial setbacks, stringent, discriminatory roadblocks and continued periods of struggle.
In Lordes’ s speech and later in her 1984 essay on the same topic, she highlighted the importance of intersectionality in understanding power dynamics as it relates to seeking solutions not dependent on the status quo.
As highlighted in an assessment of her work by literarysummary.com, Lorde stressed “the interconnectedness of various social identities, such as race, gender, sexuality, and class, and how they intersect to shape an individual’s experiences and opportunities. This is absolutely true for people of color, especially Blacks.
In her wisdom, Lorde argued that using the tools of those in power to mitigate and/or eliminate oppression will never lead to “true liberation and change.”
Of course, according to the summary, history shows these tools do provide some opportunities where the oppressed are allowed to “beat the establishment at their own game” so to speak, only for the establishment to eventually snatch back any progress. All we need to do is look at the hard fought victories of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, for example, that the Supreme Court has left impotent. And, if that doesn’t make it clear enough, consider the overwhelming backlash from white supremacists in response to the election of President Barack Obama.
“The most potent weapon of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.”
Steven Biko
And, we see it again in relation to all the impacts of Project 2025 that were further exacerbated by the action of Elon Musk and the devastating cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). According to the Libertarian CATO Institute in a December 2025 report, DOGE eliminated 271,000 jobs. This occurred across 27 government agencies.
The American people were told such cuts were warranted for government efficiency and cost control. Yet, data indicates federal spending rose by $248 billion and the national debt ballooned by an additional $2.2 Trillion and stood at 37.6 Trillion last year.
In late 2024, a Pew Research report found, “African Americans made up 18.5% of the federal civil service–this is well above the 12% Blacks account for among total civilian employment. Hundreds of thousands of these Black jobs were lost due to DOGE cuts. A- painful view of the data indicates between February and July 2025, no less than 319,000 Black women lost jobs in the U.S. across the labor market.
By comparison, reports show “white women saw a job increase of 142,000; Latina women saw an increase of 176,000 jobs; and white men saw the largest increase of all groups, with a gain of 365,000 jobs during the same five-month period.”
Although the “Masters Tools—including public and private sector employers,” worked for these groups in terms of providing employment opportunities during this economically difficult period—they certainly did not work for Blacks, especially Black women.
We’ve tried the “Master’s Tools” during Black Codes and Reconstruction, Jim Crow, Civil Rights, the 2020 Uprising and every plan and program in between that were designed to achieve parity and civil rights in all aspects of Black life from education to incarceration; from full employment to homeownership; from health equity to intergenerational wealth; and everything in between, but the tools used to dismantle them have often, not quite worked out in the long run for Black people. Of course, there have been some gains but far too few.
Yes. We’ve made slow, laborious progress that was not free–our ancestors paid-it-forward for every victory we’ve experienced. Yet, how much progress toward equality can be made in 400 years? No wonder Martin said, “The moral arc of the universe is long….” I’m sure it will be even longer if we continue to use the “Master’s Tools.”
Lorde advised about how using the “Master’s Tools” will never bring about real change. What she sought to convey in her message was that if we want to create the change we desire, we must “reject the systems and structures that uphold power imbalances and instead create our own tools and methods for dismantling them.”
Many in the community disagree with Lorde’s assessment. Others have new and different ideas regarding how to work within the system and achieve the equity Blacks are owed. While others are combining the wisdom of the ancestors with visions of Black Futurism to foster self-empowered models for real progress.
Cultural strategist, liberation scholar and educator, Dr. Ayanna Marie Amoke Blackmon-Balogun, offers such a model in her breakthrough work, “The Black Paper”.
Dr. Balogun’s racial liberation model provides a pathway to reimagine what true freedom can look like for oppressed individuals. Her point is powerful—by empowering ourselves as individuals and working in collaboration with other like-minded individuals awakening to their personal power and ancestral wisdom, we can carve a path to true liberation.
In the coming weeks and months, Dr. Balogun will host a series of community conversations on “The Black Paper” and how we can empower ourselves to create a brighter future for Black people here in the inland region. I encourage you to become a part of the conversation. Watch Black Voice News for future dates.
African ancestors taught that community is sacred, interdependent and enduring. The idea of collective responsibility, shared wisdom and unity as true sources of power, were gifted to us by those who came before.
Dr. Balogun’s work offers an opportunity for us to further the cause of Black liberation for future generations just as our ancestors paid it forward for us. Recall the terms Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) and Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) from the seven principles of Kwanzaa and then add the African spiritual concept of Ubuntu (I am because we are).
African ancestors taught that community is sacred, interdependent, and enduring. They emphasized that collective responsibility, shared wisdom, and unity are the true sources of power — a power that not only sustains the present but also undergirds the future.
Of course, this is just my opinion. I’m keeping it real.