Her full name was Audrey Geraldine Lorde. While she was still a young child, she decided to drop the 'y' from Audrey, thereby becoming Audre. Her
parents were
immigrants from the
Caribbean, and she grew up in
Harlem. She graduated from
Columbia University and
Hunter College.
Her poetry won her number awards and honors, such as the Walt Whitman Citation of Merit, New York State Poet for 1991-1993.
As an activist, she co-founded the Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press and the Sisterhood in Support of Sisters in South Africa. Audre spoke at the first national march for gay and lesbian liberation in 1979.
Audre Lorde's African name is Gamba Adisa, meaning "Warrior: She Who Makes Her Meaning Clear."