Intersectionality 101
- 2. What is intersectionality? Term coined by Kimberle Crenshaw in 1989 Google defines it as “the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.”
- 3. But what else is it? It is not just a means of pointing out one’s oppression. It is not a means of pointing out one’s own or someone else’s privilege. Intersectionality incorporates all aspects of a person’s identity and allows them to be a three-dimensional human being.
- 4. Everyone is intersectional No one is just one thing. Everyone is a combination of traits and axes of identity that combine to create a whole person.
- 5. An illustration Crenshaw created a chart to help map one’s intersections.
- 6. Another way to process Crenshaw’s chart is very effective; yet it can still enable a privilege/oppression binary. Intersectionality is fluid. It is rooted in the person. The angle shown depends on the setting the person is in. Privilege and oppression, even, can vary in a person’s day-to-day life.
- 7. A Venn Diagram Intersectionality is kind of like a venn diagram.
- 8. A Lava Lamp But it’s more like a lava lamp. Take a look and imagine each glob as a different aspect of a person’s identity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4E59Sn40MY
- 9. It takes practice No one is born thinking intersectionally. It takes practice. Keep an open mind, and force to yourself to see other’s intersections and how each may affect their life. It’ll make the world a better place if you do.