Lets talk Intersectionality

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, intersectionality, a term coined by Kimberle Crenshaw in 1989, is the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups. Meaning that activism and social justice should be rooted in this word, because all of the “-isms” listed above intersect in one way or another.

HERE’S AN EXAMPLE OF THESE “-ISMS”  AT WORK:

• -ism #1) Over the course of history, people of color have been disproportionately excluded from much of society including: the job market, social places and gatherings, health benefits, housing, voting… this list goes on for miles. This is the first step in the man-made hierarchy of the -isms. Racism.

• -ism #2) Not only have POC been excluded but now factor in being a woman or woman of color. Until the Women’s Suffrage Movement in 1919, women could not vote and had very little rights but even after the 19th amendment passed only white women were affected and freed of some of the binds men bestowed on them. Women of color were still prohibited from voting at this point and had little to no rights at all. This brings us to the second step in the man-made hierarchy. Sexism.
   

• -ism #3) Now imagine being a woman of color and being a part of the low income community. A community with limited access and resources; one that keeps growing because of the systematic oppression continuously enforced by the government. Being judged by the financial class you are in is yet another step in the man-made hierarchy of the -isms. Classism.
   

The resulting effects are leaving many different groups of people behind from the start. Think of it like carrying a bunch of packages. If you’re impacted by just 1 “-ism” you have to carry 1 package. If you’re impacted by 2 “-isms” you have to carry 2 packages, and so on… Now we can all agree that walking with no packages is much easier than walking with 3. That is exactly how intersectionality can have a compounding impact on many marginalized groups. Don’t really understand the meaning of marginalized? Let’s break it down.

MARGINALIZED INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS

To marginalize a group of people is to regulate those who are seemingly powerless. According to charterforcompassion.org marginalized groups consist of:
 

• People of color

• Women

• The Youth

• Immigrants

• Indigenous people

• LGBTQ+ community

• Disabled people

• Low income community

• Human trafficking victims

• Sexually, Mentally & Physically Abused

• People released from incarceration

• Unemployed people

• Religious minorities

• Mentally disabled/ill
   

These groups have been historically discriminated against and had little to no power in society by people with power. For example, wealthy white men had maintained power in the United States government for many years both before and after the Civil Rights Movement had taken place. When things are going really well for you, most people do not want things to change, but instead to maintain the “status quo” (the way things are at that moment). This is one of the cases as to why white men stayed in power for a long period in American history, because they were resistant to change. Thus, continuing the ongoing oppression of these groups of people. Take a moment and look through this list, how many identities do you have?

INTERSECTIONAL IDENTITIES

• According to a study done by Grinnell College, “the lens of intersectionality can be used to understand a wide variety of social interactions and complex social hierarchies.”
   

• The Center for American Progress reported that Women of Color are represented by 36.3 percent of our nation’s population meaning, that 36.3 percent of our population intersect with more than one identity listed above. Imagine the percentage of women of color who are queer, disabled, and a part of a low income community. Imagine being able to identify with 3 or more categories in the list above.
   

• Intersectional Identities make up so much of our society, so why are we not fighting for intersectional rights?

INTERSECTIONAL ACTIVISM

• With the plethora of movements across the board, one would think that intersectionality would be a more communal concept. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. The lack of intersectional beliefs comes in the forms of phobias and once again -isms for example homophobia, islamaphobia, sexism, ableism, ageism, anti-semitism and so on and so forth. These phobias and -isms are the barriers to intersectionality, they are the reason we can’t come together as united minorities to combat oppression in the form of white supremacy.
   

• Activism is so important to our future, it is how changes will be made. Intersectional activism on the other hand is how the revolution against oppression and white supremacy will arise. It will combine the efforts of the Black Lives Matter movement with the LGBTQIA community, indigenous activists, immigrant activists, disabled activists, feminists, anti-racists plus more. The fight for equality, representation, access, and rights would see resolution and progression beyond our wildest dreams.

Intersectionality is such an important term for our future. The understanding of it alone will open minds to compassion for other marginalized groups. It will unify the efforts of our ancestors and provide solutions to the tragedy complex that so many minorities live by. While fighting for and exercising your rights make sure that your are intersecting the rights of other oppressed groups. Think about the queer people who do not have a voice, the immigrants who are too scared for their safety to speak up, the disabled person who cannot speak for themselves, and the countless groups of people who deserve better treatment than they are receiving. Let us all become allies in the fight against oppression.