Angela Navarro

Dynamic and dedicated Lifeguard and Lead Swim Instructor at YMCA Fullerton, proficient in First Aid and CPR. Demonstrated leadership and problem-solving skills while ensuring swimmer safety and fostering a positive learning environment. Engaged students of all ages through innovative teaching methods, enhancing their confidence and performance in swimming.

Angela Navarro

March 18, 2025

Intersectionality

Oppression and resistance against oppression have been prevalent in American history

from British rule to the current day. With this in mind, one could question: How could a nation

built on freedom continue to systematically oppress its people on the basis of race, gender, class,

or origin? Many argue that focusing on each of these struggles individually is more effective in

creating change. Others, such as Kimberlé Crenshaw, challenge this as she believes that these

systems of oppression are interconnected and therefore, that they should be examined and

resisted as an integrated whole. Through her concept of intersectionality, she believes that to

understand and resolve the systems of oppression within class, race, and gender, is to

acknowledge the overlap within them; they must be addressed together. I argue that

intersectionality allows for stronger mobilization across once separate lines; intersectionality

reveals the interwoven struggles of race, gender, and class as it emphasizes the detrimental

impact of the overlapping systems of oppression that women of color battle every day.

The concept of intersectionality was introduced to many, including myself, by Kimberle

Crenshaw in 1989 in order to describe how different forms of oppression such as racism, sexism,

and classism, all intersect and add onto one another. Yet, it can be traced back to the activism of

Black feminists long before Crenshaw. In the 1970's a Black feminist lesbian organization that

goes by The Combahee River Collective, emphasized the idea that societal oppressions could not

be tackled separately. They conveyed that race, gender, and class were all interconnected. Before

The Combahee River Collective, in 1851 Sojourner Truth held a speech named “Ain't I a

Woman?”. Through her speech, she challenged the exclusion of Black women from the

abolitionist and feminist movements. As one can see, throughout history, marginalized

communities have fought against the vast layers of oppression yet social movements continue to

emphasize a single-axis approach to combat oppression. These movements and Crenshaw's,

allowed for the framework of understanding how the structures set in place to protect us, fail to

protect individuals who experience overlapping forms of oppression and discrimination;

intersectionality is a fundamental tool in contemporary feminist and anti-race activism.

Many who critique intersectionality believe that it is detrimental to social justice efforts

as it focuses on individual identities rather than fostering unity. Ashlee Christofferson talks about

this in, “Diversity Within”, as she argues that some feminists view intersectionality as an

“additive” perspective that “compartmentalizes individuals” rather than addressing them as a

whole. Christfferson's perspective speaks on oppression in the form of race, gender, and class

separately, instead of viewing them as intertwined. On the same page, Diane, a practitioner in

women's organizations in England, questions intersectionality as she believes that it is only

relevant in “certain contexts”. As well as Jasbir Puar, who critiques intersectionality as a form of

“diversity management” that aligns with ideas such as “demographic profiling”. They believe

that intersectionality views individuals as a “bureaucratic framework” rather than lived

experiences. While these critiques do raise concerns about implementing intersectionality, they

do not acknowledge that ignoring the intersecting oppressions that are in our nation only

reinforces the systemic inequalities that women of color face daily. The reluctance to embrace

intersectionality further emphasizes how multiple intersecting identities can harm the overall

fight for gender equality, as women. We must, at least try to, understand oppression in its full

complexity to dismantle it.

I argue that Crenshaw's concept of intersectionality is essential for those marginalized

individuals whose lives are at the crossroads of multiple oppressions. “Mapping the Margins” by

Crenshaw highlights how “mainstream” feminism can overlook the struggles of black women as

they prioritize gender over race. The complexity of this is that it could also be seen as favoring

racial concerns over gender. An example is when Crenshaw highlights the multiple barriers faced

by a black woman who was looking for protection against domestic violence, yet legal and social

support systems fail to consider how racism and sexism intersect. Intersectionality allows the

voices of those most affected by systemic oppression to be heard. But we first must recognize as

a society how gender, race, and class are all interconnected. Intersectionality is not only about

acknowledging these differences though, it is about actively working to get rid of the structural

barriers that perpetuate the inequalities. An example is how we must represent all marginalized

identities and communities.

Intersectionality is heavily conveyed in political movements like Black Lives Matter.

Black Lives Matter emphasizes the destructive nature of systemic oppression within the U.S. In

“Black Lives Matter: Toward a Modern Practice of Mass Struggle”, Russel Rickford highlights

how the movement speaks for Black men while also speaking for Black women, queer

individuals, and marginalized groups who experience systemic violence differently than Black

men. The multifaceted oppression is revealed, for example, within the lives of black queer or

trans people who face a “unique burden from a hetero-patriarchal society”. These differences

show the vile necessity of intersectionality in building solidarity and individuality among various

marginalized communities. Yet resistance to even acknowledging this oppression can be seen in

“All Lives Matter”. This phrase, “All Lives Matter”, generalizes the specific struggles faced by

Black communities and other minorities. By embracing intersectionality as a society, we can

challenge the roots of systemic injustices rather than treating them as isolated individual issues.

Throughout this essay, I have argued that we must acknowledge the intersectionality in

the systems of oppression within our society; we must acknowledge how these systems reinforce

one another and how alienating it is for women of color, women, and women who are minorities,

who feel “silenced”. The oppression and discrimination minorities have faced simply because of

their race, gender, and class is what intersectionality challenges, it challenges the single-issue

approach to equality and justice. My argument matters because intersectionality urges us to

realize that equality within women's rights will never be achievable if it is solely seen from the

individual lens of a white middle-class, heterosexual woman. Although to some it might be

obvious that black women will “experience the world differently” than black men, one must

acknowledge that they are subjected to these differences simply because of their gender. We, as a

society, must realize that there is no “common sense” in relation to oppression as no one should

experience life differently simply because their gender, sexuality, or race differs from another.

The focus on intersectionality does not put one race above another or create a new “hierarchy of

minorities”, instead it recognizes the differences that women and minorities face while others

do not face the same discrimination and oppression. It addresses the alienated feeling that many

feel in the United States, it acknowledges the inequalities rather than deny them. Regardless of what we look like or who we choose to love, we are human and should be subjected to the same and equal treatment that we once as a colony fought for. As the current political efforts push for

the dismantlement of DEI, we must ask ourselves as a society: How can we continue to address

the systemic oppression within the United States if we refuse to even acknowledge it?

Works Cited

Crenshaw, Kimberle. “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence

against Women of Color.” Stanford Law Review, vol. 43, no. 6, 1991, pp. 1241–99. JSTOR,

https://doi.org/10.2307/1229039. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.

Rickford, Russell. “Black Lives Matter: Toward a Modern Practice of Mass Struggle.” New

Labor Forum, vol. 25, no. 1, 2016, pp. 34–42. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26419959.

Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.

Coaston, Jane. “The Intersectionality Wars.” Vox, 28 May 2019,

www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/5/20/18542843/intersectionality-conservatism-law-race-gende

r-discrimination.

Ashlee Christoffersen, Akwugo Emejulu, “Diversity Within”: The Problems with

“Intersectional” White Feminism in Practice, Social Politics: International Studies in Gender,

State & Society, V olume 30, Issue 2, Summer 2023, Pages 630–653,

https://doi.org/10.1093/sp/jxac044Navarro 6

Nash, Jennifer Christine. Black Feminism Reimagined after Intersectionality. Durham London

Duke University Press, 2019.

MacKinnon, Catharine A. “Intersectionality as Method: A Note.” Signs, vol. 38, no. 4, 2013, pp.

1019–30. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.1086/669570. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.

Combahee River Collective. The Combahee River Collective Statement Combahee River

Collective. 1977.

March 18, 2025\, 1944-2017. Sojourner Truth : Ain't I a Woman? New York :Scholastic, 1992.\