Intersectionality
Intersectionality is important in discussions of racism and anti-racism. Intersectionality is the idea that you cannot separate race, racism, and the system of race from the other characteristics of a person. Black women are treated differently than black men. Black women are treated differently than white women. The system may treat people in one group a certain way. Many people are in two or more groups affected by systemic oppression. For example, a black women who is also gay or a lesbian may face different treatment based on race, gender, AND sexual orientation. They system has a whole new response to this individual that does not fit will all black people, all women, or all people in the LGBTQ community. I am not adept at explaining this. Please watch this Ted Talk that offers great examples and will foster greater understanding. Please forgive my limited skills at addressing this!
https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality
Vilissa Thompson makes the beautiful point that “our history is forever incomplete if we fail to highlight and respect the identities of Black and disabled heroes and trailblazers.” She describes how many historical figures were disabled, but their disabilities are downplayed or eliminated from the narrative. This means that Black and disabled people do not get to see themselves in history as they study leaders with incredible resilience and courage. Heather Watkins says that disability “factored in self-awareness, decision-making, and how they governed their lives.” I see this as a problem in representation on panels, boards, and executive leadership teams. Large corporations may feel like they check the “diversity box” by having people of color and women in the group, but are they forgetting about disabled peoples? They are likely missing the perspective of people who are marginalized in multiple ways.
https://rewirenewsgroup.com/2018/03/16/overlooked-history-black-disabled-people/
I identify as a white women with non-apparent disabilities, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and PMDD (a debilitating syndrome related to my menstrual cycle). With my privilege, it is important that I seek out the perspective, experience, and storytelling of intersectional peoples to better understand the world. This information gave me much to think about and ponder, and I hope you will engage in some reflection, too!
