Warrior poet Audre Lorde (1934-1992) defines herself as « Black, lesbian, feminist, mother, lover, poet » . This essay synthesizes the writer’s black feminist political intervention – i.e., thinking differences – and sketches the contours of her militant radical lesbian legacy. Promoting before the hour the notion of intersectionality, her rallying speeches call for action. Lorde questions white feminists’ racism, pushes women to forge their own concepts and enter a dialogue to understand their differences. She rehabilitates feelings (anger, fear) and the power of the erotic. She mobilized Afro-German women and fought apartheid. Numerous organizations resolutely follow in her wake. Her influence can be noted on contemporary Black American poetesses, such as Claudia Rankine, whereas her major theoretical contribution, between radical thought and queer theory, resides in the notion of empowerment, later developed by Patricia Hill Collins, and coalition building.