What did Kimberle Crenshaw discover?
Racial identities shaped experiences as much as being a woman. Identity politics often ignore multiple pieces of an identity (eg. being a black woman - race and gender)
- forms of discrimination can overlap and create hardships/privileges
Examples of social identities
Age, class, religion, ethnicity, ability, gender, race, sexual orientation
Where can intersections occur?
- laws, policies, state governments
- political organizations (eg. unions, political parties)
- community norms and practices
- religious institutions
- media
What is class?
Social, economic, educational status. For example, many people identify as middle class but what is it truly?
What is race?
A socially constructed notion that people will behave and be a certain way based on physical features.
What is racism?
A belief that one or more groups is superior.
- more than just individual acts of hate
- becomes institutionalized and people do not realize they have this bias
What is systemic discrimination?
Patterns of behaviour, policies, or practices that disadvantage racialized persons.
What is environmental racism?
Lack of decision-making power due to race and socioeconomic class.
- disproportionate location of potential hazardous sites or industries near racialized, low-income populations and the working poor
- eg. Flint Water Crisis
