The struggle against patriarchy and racism must be substantively robust and inextricably intertwined.
Interpretation
The fight against patriarchy and racism should be strong and interconnected.
In this quote, Kimberle Williams Crenshaw emphasizes the importance of a vigorous and integrated struggle against both patriarchy and racism, highlighting that these issues are deeply entwined and cannot be effectively addressed in isolation. She argues that efforts for social justice must acknowledge the intersectionality of these two forms of oppression to create a comprehensive approach to equality and human rights.
In practice
In a speech on social justice, one might invoke this quote to highlight the interconnected nature of various forms of oppression.
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.
All too often, girls are ignored because their challenges aren't thought to be as serious as those faced by boys.
Vulnerability is basically uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure.
I don't want to be white. I don't want to be straight. I don't want to blend in.
For those of us in the opposition movement under dictatorships, part of our job is confronting police and spending time in prison. So, a dissident not only needs to learn how to oppose oppression but also how to face the crackdowns and time in prison.
When you face up to bad things in the past, the most important thing is not to allow them to happen today or in the future, and as storytellers, we must play our part in that.
In battle, if you you make your opponent flinch, you have already won.
You know, my friends, there comes a time when people get tired of being trampled over by the iron feet of oppression.
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