do i.ds collide?

Written By SoCo

authors’ note: this is based on our everyday understanding and history of these concepts as of January 2024. we welcome commentary, discussion and nuance on these summaries, any way you may care to take the time to share.

intersectionality is a concept that was created by leading activist and scholar, Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989.

intersectionality describes how aspects of identity combine (like class, race, gender, etc) to create unique and complex experiences of oppression and privilege.

this concept is based on critical race theory and was created at a time where different types of discrimination were being considered in isolation both in the creation of law and policy and when pursuing legal action in the justice system with black women paying the price. this was mostly because in cases of:

1) race discrimination - the patriarchy means black men were centered as the reps for blackness

2) sex/gender discrimination - white supremacy means white women were centered as the reps for womanhood

so the unique discrimination that black women face in the workplace wasn’t being addressed all at once and was not recognised as something different, making it difficult to advocate for and almost impossible to pursue legal charges in the eyes of the law.

since 1989, the term has expanded to describe the complexity and compounding nature of having multiple intersecting and marginalised identities for many types of people just going about their everyday lives. you might have even come across intersectional feminism in your travels - but that’s a whole other post.

in 2024, intersectionality helps to describe how focusing on one identity by ignoring all others will create problems for more ‘diverse’ people and reinforce dominant traits in the western world.

“how many of the battles we are fighting today grow out of the intersectional failures of yesterday?

this concept (intersectionality) can help provide a lens on looking at failures of the past and use them to create broader and more robust coalition towards the kind of world we want to build.”

2016 Speech given by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw

intersectionality is something that is central to our thinking at soco so we thought we better lay it out for everyone as we understand it. for some people reading this, we’re sure you’re probably saying ‘no sh*t.’ under your breath. and we also think that perhaps for others this will be an ‘oh sh^t!’ moment. at soco, we try not to assume that everyone has the same knowledge or uses the same words which is why we write these articles.

and so with intersectionality - once you see it, you can’t unsee it. there is no putting the toothpaste back into the tube. as you build on your own experiences and learn more about other identities and how they can impact each person’s experience in a world ruled by the real big 4 (white supremacy, colonialism, capitalism and patriarchy) - it won’t be long till you start to see intersectional failures everywhere. here are some made up but lower stakes examples inspired by real life events:

  • running a grant program for multicultural family projects but all the information sessions for the grant program are during business hours, in english with no childcare provided. then expecting applicants to write in english with no translation support. the low numbers of submissions received is chalked up to low appetite in the community instead of assessing own intersectional failures. this causes unintentional harm and damaged relationships between funder and community whilst reinforcing the dominant power structure.

  • running an ‘inclusive’ womens business event series but every time it is alcohol centered and there is no halal or kosher food provided and no utensils and bowls for people with different mobility needs or preferences around eating. organisers summarise low attendance is due to low interest rather than a failure to explicitly invite and cater to the needs of diverse women.

  • running a emerging leadership course, costing thousands, and only inviting white cisgendered women to be on the launch event panel and being sponsored by the local police force - an institution know for it’s violent targeting of marginalised groups especially people of colour and LGBTQIA+ communities. concluding that lack of diverse applicants is due to no interest rather than the fact that people marginalised by society are less likely to have financial stability to spend thousands, if they weren’t already deterred by promotion and organisation of the course.

it’s not hard to imagine that a lifetime of these lower stakes situations alongside the larger intersectional failure of support systems like medicare, centrelink and discriminatory practices in education, banking and finance, housing, and the justice system easily create significant difficulty and stress in people’s unique experiences of oppression and privilege. and that this would be most deeply felt by people who dared to be born not white.

this is why we f*ck with intersectionality. as a collective it helps us to ground our conversations and activity in a shared understanding of power dynamics, social inequalities, and the experiences of many with intersecting identities. it gives us a framework to do better and make space for as much inclusion as possible in everything that we do.

we understand that humans don’t exist in a vacuum of their race, ethnicity, culture, disability, gender, etc, and yet so often are forced to choose which part of themselves they will prioritise when they show up face to face or online.

that’s why we are actively rejecting and moving away the real big 4 and choosing intersectionality or bust when it comes to creating spaces where you don’t have to choose which part of you shows up, you can just be.

There is no such thing as a single issue struggle because we do not live single issue lives

~ Audre Lorde

it is our sincerest intention that the events we create give us all a safer space to come together with open hearts and minds to connect, uplift and resist in community with one another. we hope that you might notice and see this in the things that we do as a collective and as always we are super open to criticism and feedback to do better and iterate each time.

an invitation

before you go, an invitation for now or later to expand your knowledge. the way these topics expand, shrink and impact our society is always changing. these are some recommendations based on january 2024 information.

authors note: for the trans baddies reading this: a lot of these resources focus on womens experience and reinforce the gender binary. to counteract this we’ve added some amazing gender queer legends to the list below.

dip your toe in

have a splash

hot nerd tip: exposing yourself to being in learner mode as an adult can be vulnerable making and remind you of the powerlessness you felt as a kid. we see you and believe in you to get through to the other side of this discomfort. because you are a learner, you might need a dictionary for some of these. others you just need the popcorn and an open heart.

swim some laps

hot nerd tip: borrow from your local library. if they don’t have it - every library has a fund to buy new books - so request that they add it to their collection and soon enough it will be in your hands!

authors’ ending note: thank you for getting to the bottom of here. if you have any other articles, books or videos that you think would be awesome to add to the list, plz drop us a line.

SoCo
Next

The real big 4