An interview with Cheryl Clarke

Interviewee: Cheryl Clarke is a former Dean of Students at Rutgers University and poet. Clarke is a black lesbian feminist whose poetry, editorial work, and career at Rutgers has had a significant impact on black, lesbian, and women’s communities. She is the author of four collections of poetry, often centered around themes of black women’s issues and lesbian issues. She served as an editor of the lesbian publication Conditions for nine years, and began working at Rutgers University in 1970.At Rutgers, she served as the founding Director of Diverse Community Affairs and Lesbian/Gay Concerns, which became the Office of Social Justice Education and LGBT Communities in 2004. She was the Dean of Students of Livingston Campus between 2009-2013, and retired from Rutgers in 2013 after 41 years of service.Interviewers: Nia Allen-Lee. IWL scholar, class of 2014. Katerín Fernández. IWL student.