Blog Post #4
"Why Intersectionality Can't Wait"
By: Kimberly Crenshaw
Connections
As I read Why Intersectionality Can't Wait, I was able to connect this reading to Privilege Power and Difference by Alan Johnson. The main idea that both these readings share is the topic of discrimination. For example, both Johnson and Crenshaw put an emphasis on it being a white man's world. In Privilege Power and Difference, Johnson tells us about a discussion he once had with his African American coworker who was also a woman. He tells us that he has never experienced the type of discrimination that she has had to undergo. This feeling of not being able to understand makes Johnson feel uncomfortable. We see this type of discrimination within Why Intersectionality Can't Wait. For example, Crenshaw discusses that black women were dismissed in the courts because the court believed that "black women should not be permitted to combine their race and gender claims into one". This is the exact discrimination that Johnson has never had to experience within his everyday life. However, it is the same discrimination that his friend has experienced throughout her entire life.
Why Intersectionality Can't Wait, can also be compared to The Silenced Dialogue by Lisa Delpit. Once again both of these readings discuss that discrimination is still a very prevalent issue within today's society. However, these two readings can also be connected through another idea. This idea is the belief that discrimination can occur through kindness. Delpit believes that oppression can arise out of warmth, friendliness, and concern. Crenshaw mentions that many people are "all talk and no action." This means that we have been talking about racial inequality forever, but we still do not live in an equal society. I believe that both of these authors argue that some "kind" people still discriminate.
Point to Share for Class:
What can be done in order to stop the "all talk and no action"? As future teachers how can we make sure that we are not accidentally discriminating against our students through kindness? Through warmth? Through friendliness? Through concern? How can we make a change?
Women's rights are far too often dismissed by society. How can we abolish this? What can we do for women's liberation?
The video that I attached is Kimberly Crenshaw's ted talk about intersectionality.
https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality?language=en
Hi Brenna, I like that you were able to do a connections blog. I agree so much with the all talk and no action piece. I don't understand why people can talk about all these problems but don't have the nerve to speak up about them. If we would just speak up and take action then we wouldn't have so many problems to talk about.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that this text does connect to the Allan Johnson reading we had. I had not realized the connection between the two until reading Jillian's blog but you are right that Johnson uses examples such as the conversation between him and his coworker that go along with the text that Crenshaw wrote.
ReplyDeleteHi Brenna, I like how you did a connection blog, I did the same thing mine is a little different but I agree with you so much that we talk about these connections on a daily and It's crazy to me how much they're all relative
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