Civil rights activist Kimberlé Crenshaw, renowned for coining the term “intersectionality” and contributing to the development of critical race theory, finds her decades of work under intense scrutiny amidst Washington’s campaign against “woke” ideology. As her memoir is released, the esteemed legal scholar shares her perspective on why she remains committed to confronting those in power.
Upon Donald Trump’s return to office in January of the previous year, one of his initial actions was to issue an executive order aimed at halting federal funding for any educational institution that taught what the administration characterized as “critical race theory.” This was complemented by a series of directives that mandated the dissolution of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) personnel, offices, and training programs throughout the federal government. Federal agencies subsequently began identifying numerous terms to be avoided or removed, including “intersectional” and “intersectionality.” These measures have effectively led to the deliberate erasure of forty years of Kimberlé Crenshaw’s scholarly contributions.
For many years, the 66-year-old legal scholar has been a vocal advocate for identifying concepts that those in positions of power would prefer to keep unaddressed. In 1989, she introduced the term “intersectionality” to articulate how race and gender converge and influence lived experiences, often in ways that the legal system has historically failed to acknowledge. Concurrently, she was part of a collective of African American academics who formulated the foundational principles of what became known as “critical race theory,” a framework designed to investigate the systemic nature of racism within legal structures, as opposed to attributing it solely to individual biases. Currently, Crenshaw’s ideas are facing unprecedented challenges and opposition.