‘I saw the backlash coming’: civil rights activist Kimberlé Crenshaw on America and race. She coined the term ‘intersectionality’ and helped to develop critical race theory, now her life’s work is under attack. As her memoir is published, she explains why she’ll never stop speaking truth to power.
Posted by mlg1981
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This is a really good article. Also ty Guardian for not having a paywall!
The work that Kimberlé Crenshaw did and continues to do is so important and I can’t imagine how frustrating it must be to see everything being rolled back the way it has been. But this moment in the article stood out to me in particular:
> Crenshaw was invited to the White House to discuss the [#WhyWeCantWait campaign], but the encounter only underscored how little space there was for the argument she was making [that Black girls and women be included in Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative]. She recalls being interrupted by Obama’s chief of staff, who, she says, incredibly, told her she perhaps didn’t understand the meaning of intersectionality. Afterwards, she found herself shut out of the administration.
Can you imagine telling *the* Kimberlé Crenshaw she doesn’t know what intersectionality is?
There are so many other gems in this article (and I’m sure a ton of great stories in her memoir!). Highly recommend the read!
Love this and I wish her definition of intersectionality was more commonly understood, including leftist circles. Also wish the definition of fascism was better understood in its capitalist roots, but that’s just me. Anyway, she slays in that orange dress, girl, you’re FIRE, go step on those ugly fascist toes!
In fact, we all saw the backlash coming!
Black women will be the ones who save this country.
Thank you for sharing this so I can be sure to order her book!