How Audre Lorde Taught Us to See Women Fully

Audre Lorde wasn’t just a poet—she was a warrior. A Black feminist, lesbian, mother, and activist who refused to let society define womanhood in nar

Audre Lorde wasn’t just a poet—she was a warrior. A Black feminist, lesbian, mother, and activist who refused to let society define womanhood in narrow, limited terms. She showed us that gender can’t be discussed without race, class, and sexuality. If we want to truly understand oppression, we have to look at all the ways it works together. Here’s what she taught us:

1. Womanhood Is More Than Just Gender

Lorde rejected the idea that gender alone defines a woman’s experience. Black women, she argued, don’t just face sexism—they also endure racism, classism, and homophobia. She challenged white feminists who ignored these realities, demanding an inclusive feminism that served all women.

“Some problems we share as women, some we do not.” – The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House

2. Erasure Is Violence

Lorde called out how Black women were often erased from feminist conversations. She believed that when feminists ignored race and class, they were complicit in the oppression of Black women.

“Refusing to recognize difference makes it impossible to see the different problems and pitfalls facing us as women.”

She believed feminism must tell the whole story of womanhood—not just the parts that fit neatly into mainstream narratives.

3. Women’s Power Is Found in Difference

Lorde didn’t want women to suppress their differences—she wanted them to embrace them. She saw diversity as a strength, not a weakness. Womanhood wasn’t a one-size-fits-all experience, and ignoring that only helped uphold systems of oppression.

4. The Erotic as Power

Lorde redefined how we see desire, passion, and power. She believed that reclaiming our full selves—including our sensuality—was a way to resist oppression. Her essay Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power is a must-read for any woman learning to step into her own authority.

5. Survival Is Revolutionary

Black women have always had to fight to exist. Lorde understood this and saw survival itself as an act of defiance. In A Litany for Survival, she wrote about how the world wasn’t built for Black women to thrive, yet they do.

“We were never meant to survive.”

But we do. And that survival is a form of resistance.

Why This Matters Today

Lorde’s work reminds us that conversations about women must include Black feminists. Ignoring race, class, and sexuality means leaving behind the women most vulnerable to harm. As we continue fighting for women’s rights, we must carry her wisdom forward.

Women are not a monolith. To see women fully, we must honor our differences, amplify the voices of those who have been silenced, and never stop challenging the systems that seek to erase us.