Kimberlé Crenshaw Discusses 'Intersectional Feminism'

Summary

In this insightful conversation, Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, a renowned scholar in civil rights and black feminist legal theory, introduces intersectionality as a framework to understand the compound effects of race and gender discrimination. She discusses her personal journey influenced by her family's civil rights activism and the importance of recognizing the unique challenges faced by black women in society. Crenshaw also addresses the 'Say Her Name' campaign, highlighting the overlooked experiences of black women subjected to systemic violence and the need to broaden the narrative of police brutality beyond the focus on black men.

Takeaways

• 📚 Kimberlé Crenshaw is a renowned professor of law at UCLA and Columbia University, specializing in civil rights, black feminist legal theory, and race, racism, and the law.
• 🌟 She is the director of the Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy at Columbia University, which she co-founded in 2011, and also co-founded the African American Policy Forum.
• 💡 Intersectionality is a concept that explains how individuals can experience discrimination based on multiple identities, such as race and gender, which intersect and create unique experiences of oppression.
• 👩‍🏫 Crenshaw's personal journey to women's and gender studies was influenced by her intersectional identities as a Jewish woman raised in a Reform Jewish family with a female rabbi.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Her upbringing was deeply rooted in the civil rights movement, with discussions of social justice being a daily staple at home, shaping her understanding of racial and gender issues.
• 🚨 The 'Say Her Name' campaign was initiated to highlight the often-overlooked cases of black women who have been victims of systemic violence and to challenge the framing of police violence as predominantly affecting black men.
• 🔍 Crenshaw discusses the public's limited perception of police violence, which is often framed as an issue of competing masculinities and hyper-masculine individuals, rather than a broader issue of state violence affecting all races and genders.
• 🤔 The critique of 'Black Lives Matter' with the counter-argument 'all lives matter' is addressed, with Crenshaw explaining that 'Black Lives Matter' is an aspirational statement to highlight the disproportionate impact of police violence on black individuals.
• 📉 The notion of colorblindness is critiqued, as it fails to acknowledge the specific risks and circumstances faced by black individuals, which are not equally distributed across all racial groups.
• 🛑 The script emphasizes the importance of recognizing and addressing the different rates and types of encounters with the police, which are not experienced equally by all racial and gender groups.
• 🌐 Kimberlé Crenshaw's work and theories aim to broaden the understanding of discrimination and state violence, advocating for a more inclusive and intersectional approach to social justice.

Q & A

Who is Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw?

Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw is a professor of law at UCLA and Columbia University, an expert in civil rights, black feminist legal theory, and race, racism and the law. She is also the director of the Center of Intersectionality and Social Policy at Columbia University, which she co-founded in 2011, and the co-founder of the African American Policy Forum. Additionally, she is the creator of intersectionality theory.

What is intersectionality according to Professor Crenshaw?

Intersectionality is the idea that people experience life, including discrimination and benefits, based on a combination of different identities they have. The term emerged from a case where black women were being discriminated against not just as black people or as women, but specifically as black women. It highlights how race and gender discrimination intersect and impact individuals in unique ways.

What personal experiences influenced Professor Crenshaw's journey to women's and gender studies?

Professor Crenshaw was raised by parents deeply involved in the civil rights movement, discussing social justice regularly at home. Her mother, committed to racial justice, specifically educated her on how racism and sexism intersect, especially for black women. This upbringing, combined with her college studies in Africana Studies, government, and a minor in Women's Studies, shaped her interest in women's and gender studies.

Why do black women who suffer from systemic violence often receive less national attention than black men, according to Professor Crenshaw?

Professor Crenshaw suggests that societal focus tends to frame police violence as an issue primarily affecting black men, influenced by stereotypes of hyper-masculinity. This framing overlooks the unique experiences and victimization of black women. Efforts like 'Say Her Name' aim to raise awareness of black women who have been killed by the police and to broaden the understanding of state violence against black people.

What is the purpose of the 'Say Her Name' campaign?

The 'Say Her Name' campaign was created to draw attention to the black women who have been killed by the police and whose names are often unknown to the public. It seeks to make visible the violence against black women and ensure their stories are acknowledged and addressed.

How did people react to the 'Say Her Name' banner during marches?

Reactions varied. Some people gave thumbs up, showing support, while others were confused as the idea of women being killed by the police did not register with them. Some people even believed the focus should remain on black men. The campaign highlighted the need to expand the narrative around police violence to include black women.

What critique does Professor Crenshaw address regarding the 'Black Lives Matter' movement?

Professor Crenshaw addresses the critique that 'all lives should matter,' which she sees as a form of colorblindness that ignores the specific risks and systemic violence faced by black people. She argues that the 'Black Lives Matter' movement is necessary to highlight and politicize the disparities in how black lives are valued and treated, particularly by the police.

What does Professor Crenshaw mean by saying that 'Black Lives Matter' is aspirational?

Professor Crenshaw means that 'Black Lives Matter' expresses a goal or aspiration for black lives to be valued and protected as much as other lives. The movement seeks to address and rectify the current disparities in how black lives are treated, particularly in encounters with law enforcement.

How does Professor Crenshaw's family background influence her work?

Her parents' involvement in the civil rights movement and their discussions about social justice at home deeply influenced Professor Crenshaw's perspective. Her mother's teachings on the specific challenges faced by black women due to racism and sexism equipped her with the tools to recognize and address these issues, guiding her academic and activist work.

What are some examples of black women who have been victims of police violence mentioned by Professor Crenshaw?

Examples include Tanisha Anderson, Michelle Cusseaux, and other black women whose names and stories are often overlooked in discussions about police violence. The 'Say Her Name' campaign works to bring these stories to the forefront.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Intersectionality Theory

Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw is introduced as a renowned expert in civil rights, black feminist legal theory, and race discrimination law. She is recognized for co-founding the Center of Intersectionality and Social Policy at Columbia University and the African American Policy Forum. The conversation begins with a definition of intersectionality, which Crenshaw explains as the interplay of different identities that can lead to unique forms of discrimination, using the example of black women facing both racial and gender discrimination. Sarah Hayet shares her personal journey influenced by intersectional factors, such as being Jewish and a woman raised in a Reform Jewish family with a female rabbi, which shaped her perspective on feminism.

05:03

🔍 Intersectionality and the Overlooked Stories of Black Women

The discussion delves into the issue of black women being underrepresented in the narrative of systemic violence, despite experiencing it at significant rates. Kimberlé Crenshaw addresses this by discussing the 'Say Her Name' campaign, which aims to bring attention to the often-unrecognized victims of police violence among black women. Crenshaw explains the societal framing of police violence as a problem of competing masculinities, which overlooks the fact that black women also face this violence. The conversation highlights the need to challenge the perception that police violence is solely about hypermasculine individuals and to recognize the broader spectrum of victims, including black women. Crenshaw also addresses the critique of 'Black Lives Matter' with the counter-argument that the phrase is aspirational, emphasizing the need for equal recognition and concern for black lives, which disproportionately face police violence.

Keywords

💡Intersectionality

Intersectionality is a theoretical framework for understanding how aspects of social and political life interact on multiple and intersecting levels of race, class, and gender. It was introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw to address the specific forms of discrimination experienced by black women, who face both racial and gender discrimination. In the script, Crenshaw explains how intersectionality helps to recognize and address the simultaneous impact of multiple forms of discrimination, using the metaphor of discrimination coming from different directions.

💡Civil Rights

Civil rights refer to the rights of individuals to receive equal treatment and to be free from unfair discrimination. Kimberlé Crenshaw's parents were deeply involved in the civil rights movement, which influenced her perspective on social justice. The script mentions how her upbringing in a family that discussed social justice daily contributed to her journey in the field of law and gender studies.

💡Black Feminist Legal Theory

Black feminist legal theory is an academic discipline that examines the ways in which race, gender, and class intersect with the law. Kimberlé Crenshaw is an expert in this field, and it forms the basis of her work on intersectionality. The script highlights her contributions to understanding the unique challenges faced by black women within the legal system.

💡Racism

Racism is the belief in the inherent superiority of one race over another, which often results in discrimination and prejudice towards people based on their race or ethnicity. In the script, Crenshaw discusses how racism is experienced differently by black women compared to black men, emphasizing the need for intersectionality to address these differences.

💡Gender Discrimination

Gender discrimination refers to unfair treatment or consideration of individuals based on their gender. Kimberlé Crenshaw's work on intersectionality specifically addresses the gender discrimination faced by black women, as she explains in the script that black women experience gender discrimination in addition to racial discrimination.

💡Center of Intersectionality and Social Policy

The Center of Intersectionality and Social Policy is an academic center co-founded by Kimberlé Crenshaw at Columbia University. It focuses on research and policy related to intersectionality. The script mentions this center as an example of Crenshaw's contributions to the field.

💡African American Policy Forum

The African American Policy Forum is an organization co-founded by Kimberlé Crenshaw that focuses on issues affecting African Americans. The script notes this as another initiative that Crenshaw has been involved in to address racial and gender disparities.

💡Say Her Name

Say Her Name is a campaign initiated to bring attention to the violence faced by black women at the hands of the police, which is often overlooked. Kimberlé Crenshaw discusses this campaign in the script as a response to the underrepresentation of black women in discussions about police violence.

💡Systemic Violence

Systemic violence refers to violence that is built into the structures of society, such as the legal system or law enforcement, and disproportionately affects certain groups of people. In the script, Crenshaw discusses how black women are also victims of systemic violence but are often not given the same attention as black men in these discussions.

💡Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter is a movement advocating for the recognition of systemic racism, particularly against African Americans, and the promotion of equality in the justice system. Kimberlé Crenshaw addresses the movement in the script, discussing the critique 'all lives matter' and emphasizing the need for specific recognition of the unique challenges faced by black people.

💡Colorblindness

Colorblindness, in the context of the script, refers to the idea that ignoring racial differences will lead to equality, which Kimberlé Crenshaw criticizes as a form of denial of the specific challenges faced by people of color. She explains that the 'all lives matter' response to 'Black Lives Matter' is a form of colorblindness that fails to acknowledge the particular risks and circumstances faced by black people.

Highlights

Introduction of Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, a renowned expert in civil rights, black feminist legal theory, and race, racism, and the law.

Professor Crenshaw is the director of the Center of Intersectionality and Social Policy at Columbia University and co-founder of the African American Policy Forum.

She is also the creator of intersectionality theory, a key concept in understanding discrimination based on multiple identities.

Intersectionality is defined as experiencing life and discrimination based on a number of different identities.

The term 'intersectionality' originated from a case study of black women facing race and gender discrimination.

Discrimination can happen on the basis of several different factors at the same time, necessitating a language and ability to see and address it.

Personal journey to women's and gender studies influenced by intersectional factors such as being Jewish and a woman.

Growing up in a family involved in the civil rights movement and discussing social justice daily.

Learning about the different ways racism is experienced by black women, not just black people or women in general.

The importance of recognizing and addressing the specific challenges faced by black women in the workforce, such as sexual harassment.

The 'Say Her Name' campaign to bring attention to black women who have suffered from systemic violence but do not receive national attention.

The framing of police violence as a problem largely influenced by an idea of competing masculinities.

Broadening the frame to see how state violence is rationalized by different stereotypes, including those affecting black women.

The critique of 'Black Lives Matter' being countered with 'all lives should matter', reflecting a misunderstanding of the specific risks faced by black people.

The 'Black Lives Matter' movement is aspirational, highlighting the need for black lives to matter the same as everyone else's.

The importance of acknowledging and addressing the hugely different risks and circumstances of police encounters faced by black people.

Professor Crenshaw's engaging and insightful discussion on intersectionality, discrimination, and the importance of recognizing and addressing these issues.

Transcripts

I'm Sarah Hayet and Lafayette College would like to welcome Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw

She is a professor of law at UCLA and Columbia University and an expert in the

fields of civil rights, black feminist legal theory and race, racism and the law

On top of that she is also the director of the center of intersectionality and

social policy at Columbia University which she co-founded in 2011 and also the

co-founder of the African American policy forum

On top of that, she is the creator of interesectionality theory

We're so glad to have you

-It's a pleasure to be here, thank you

And speaking of intersectionality that actually leads us right into our first question

For the students who may not know what is intersectionality can you define that for us

-Well I have to practice my elevator version of it but intersectionality is basically the idea

that we experience life, sometimes discriminations, sometimes benefits based

on a number of different identities that we have so the the basic term came

out of a case where I was looking at black women who were being discriminated

against not just as black people, not just as women, but as black women. So

intersectionality was basically a metaphor to say they've got race

discrimination that they're facing coming from one direction, they've got

gender discrimination coming from another direction, and they're colliding in

their lives in ways that we don't really anticipate and understand so

intersectionality is basically meant to help people think about the fact that

discrimination can happen on the basis of several different factors at

the same time, and we need to have a language and an ability to see it in order to address it

I know my journey to women's and gender studies was based a lot on intersectional factors

like I'm Jewish and I'm a woman

and being raised in a Reform Jewish family with a female rabbi was huge it

really informed my feminism and I was wondering what was your journey

to women's and gender studies

-That's a wonderful question. So I was raised by a mother and father

who were deeply involved in the civil rights movement we talked about social

justice at the dinner table every day when I came home. My friends used to

tease me because I had to like study for dinner

like my parents wanted me to talk about what did you learn today what did you observe today

how do you defend what you think

-No pressure

No pressure, exactly! So that's the household I

grew up in and my mother is what, I guess, in the last century we used to call

race women. They're women who were deeply committed to the idea of racial

justice and they were committed to fighting for the rights of people of

color including and especially women so she would talk about some of

the ways that racism gets experienced by black people who are women not just black

people who are men and and basically give me tools to see when

it was coming at me so you know different ways that you might be spoken

to as a black woman as opposed to being a white woman, having to keep your eye

out for harassing behavior at work as sexual harassment actually came from

black women's employment experience. The first plaintiffs were black women

because these were the kind of things that would happen to black women in the

workforce. So just a general way in which you're a woman but not quite the kind of woman

that you're supposed to be these are the kinds of things that my mom taught me

about so I had sort of a race lens from the family as a whole and then

my mother would talk more specifically about 'now as a woman these are the

things that you got to look out for'. So I was kinda naturally drawn by the time I

got to college, both to

Africana Studies which was one of my majors in the other major was

government and then I did a a minor in Women's Studies

-To go back to what you said about your parents, that

they were involved in the civil rights movement and nowadays this kind of

resurgence of Black Lives Matter. But the names that stand out in the Black Lives Matter movement

get the most attention are Eric Garner and Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown

but we don't see the Eva Smiths or the Renisha Mcbrides

and why do you think that is that black women who are also suffering from

systemic violence are getting kind of pushed under the rug, not getting that national attention.

-Yes it's an issue that I've been very much concerned with and it was one of the reasons we

started 'Say Her Name'; to draw attention to the names that people

don't have. They don't roll off the lips, you know we don't know the names of

Tanisha Anderson and Michelle Cusseaux and you know I've thought a little bit about

why this is the case and you know I can share that we have been participating in

some of the marches. We were participating for example in the Eric Garner march

when we came out with 'Say Her Name' because you know part of the march is your marching and

you're lifting up the names and so then we started saying some of the women's names

and people were looking at us like what are you talking about

that's why we just say well just say her name alright just say it because saying it

brings attention to the fact that there are women who are also and killed by the

police. We eventually created a big banner that had the names and the

photos of 20 black women who were killed by the police and for a while we were

marching in the march with it but we realized that actually the poster needed to

be seen by people in the march so we came out of the marching, stood on the side

of the road and and held up the banners of people walking by would see it

and we noticed that some people gave us the thumbs up, a lot of people were just

it didn't compute you know the idea of women being killed by the police was

just something they never imagined and so they would come over and they took pictures and

wanted to know about the stories and then there were a few people who you

know were like this this is not about women killed by the police this is about

black men killed by the police and that goes somewhat to your question I think

that there is a framing of the problem of police violence that's largely

influenced by an idea that this is about competing masculinities, this is about

you know the state or basically some men clothed with the power of the state

trying to constrain you know individuals that are seen as hyper masculine, out

of control and therefore in need of a course of punishment and there is an

element of police violence that is informed by that but you know that's not

the only you know aspect of police killings that we have to worry about so

you know in the same way that lynching for example was often framed as an

assault on black male sexuality, which many times it was, it was also the cover

for many other things that other people were subject to including black women who

were also lynched so we've been trying to broaden the frame so people can see how

state violence is rationalized by a lot of different stereotypes but the most

important one that black women share is that is black people more of a threat to

the police, more likely to engage in conduct that puts police officer's lives

at risk, and more in need of harsh disciplinary kind of coercive physical

punishment and we see this in cases that black women have experienced in

their homes, in their bedrooms, around the corner from where they live, in their

cars, everywhere.

-You kind of hinted at this but one of the biggest critiques of 'Black Lives Matter' is 'all lives should matter'

what would be your response

-Yeah well that's you know the 'Black Lives Matter' popular version of colorblindness right

we can't speak with any particularity about the risks that certain things will

happen to people who are embodied in a particular way because to do that is to

exclude all the other people so you know one of the most tremendously troubling

things that happened after the civil rights movement is the way that some of

the victories of the civil rights movement had been turned on their heads

so you know Brown v. Board of Education now has been twisted into an

idea that it is discriminatory to take into account race at all in school

assignments even if race is being taken into account to continue the process of

desegregation, right so the idea is everybody is similarly situated with

respect to race that's part of the idea behind all lives matters like

everybody is similarly situated with respect to the likelihood that they'll

be driving down the street one day and a police officer will you know interrupt

their day and they might end up in handcuffs or worse. It just is not the

case that everyone is similarly situated with respect to this and if it were to

happen to people at the same rates that it's happening to black people if it were

to happen to white people

the responses I think we have plenty of reason to believe will be different so

this is this is all of the background that makes 'Black Lives Matter' something to

say, it's being said because the evidence suggests that they don't. So it's

aspirational black lives should matter, the same as everybody else so just

erasing what is being said by saying they all do is just denying exactly what the

circumstance is, which is their hugely different risk and circumstances of being

encountered by the police and that's what 'Black Lives Matter'

is trying to politicize.

-Thank you so much and thank you for taking the time

to join us today.

-Well thank you for the wonderful questions

-It was my pleasure. I was so excited to get to meet you

-Thank you, thank you.