The struggle against patriarchy and racism must be substantively robust and inextricably intertwined.
There are many, many different kinds of intersectional exclusions - not just black women but other women of color. Not just people of color, but people with disabilities. Immigrants. LGBTQ people. Indigenous people.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the multifaceted nature of discrimination faced by various marginalized groups in society.
Kimberle Williams Crenshaw emphasizes the complexity of societal exclusions that affect not only black women but also a diverse array of marginalized groups including other women of color, individuals with disabilities, immigrants, LGBTQ individuals, and Indigenous peoples. Her words encourage us to recognize and address these intersecting inequalities, understanding that social justice requires an inclusive approach to advocacy and support.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on diversity and inclusion practices at work, this quote can be used to underline the importance of recognizing various dimensions of exclusion.
More from Kimberle Williams Crenshaw
All quotes →I have a wonderful, diverse, and young staff at the AAPF who pretty much work around the clock trying to figure out how we promote the idea that social justice requires us to be intersectional in our thinking and in our scope of vision.
If you don't have a lens that's been trained to look at how various forms of discrimination come together, you're unlikely to develop a set of policies that will be as inclusive as they need to be.
We have to move back to the idea that education isn't about teaching people to bow to rigid rules. That's not what democracy is about.
Having a monolithic view of feminism is suffocating.
We must begin to tell black women's stories because, without them, we cannot tell the story of black men, white men, white women, or anyone else in this country. The story of black women is critical because those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it.
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We are lagging far behind comparable countries in overcoming the disadvantages Indigenous people face.
Unless young blacks are brought into the mainstream of economic life, they will continue to be on the curbstone.
We should be uncomfortable with the growing gaps in our society, and we cannot allow ourselves to become desensitized to these injustices.
It's not white versus black any more, it's haves versus have-nots. Unless the black middle-classes unite to promote the interests of the black underclass, tension between them is inevitable. What we, the black middle class have to do, is think of a strategy to avert that.
Far less wealthy industrialized countries have committed to end child poverty, while the United States is sliding backwards. We can do better. We must demand that our leaders do better.
I remember my dad always complaining about getting pulled over. I remember the differences in school systems. I remember seeing police officers, not knowing their names, and knowing that they were there not to protect us, not to serve us, but to watch us.