“If I didn't define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive.”

American writer, professor, philosopher, poet, civil rights activist, and intersectional feminist

Audre Lorde was an American writer, professor, philosopher, poet, civil rights activist, and intersectional feminist. She is remembered for a life devoted to challenging injustice and oppression, and for naming herself as a Black, lesbian, feminist, socialist, mother, warrior, poet. Her work and public voice were rooted in struggles for liberation, equality, and dignity. She argued against ranking forms of oppression, insisting that people committed to freedom and a livable future for children should not be divided by whose suffering counts most.