Though people are born innocent, they are not born ignorant. Ignorance is being aware of a problem but refusing to seek a solution. We live in a society that was founded on the backs of oppression yet hides under the veil of equality. And when the great thinkers, leaders and revolutionaries do try to enact change, it is often one-dimensional. When it comes to enacting social change, one size should never fit all. However, one’s social identity may subdue one’s ability to collaborate with those that may have like minded goals but opposing perspectives. This lack of diversity can not only tarnish the legitimacy of a social movement but it can also neutralize the voices of those most in need of change. When it comes to diversity, social identities of every scope must be considered. But like every aspect of human life, diversity operates within a hierarchy.
In her 2016 Ted Talk, “The Urgency of Intersectionality”, civil rights advocate and lawyer, Kimberle Crenshaw explains the ways in which one’s multiple identities can deter one’s social mobility within a repressive society. Coining the term “intersectionality”, Crenshaw goes on to chronicle the many ways in which the feminism movement have allowed Black women and other women of color to fall through the cracks of America’s consciousness. The women’s liberation movement has always lacked the contrast needed to achieve true social change. While the first-wave feminism of the 19th and early 20th century focused on women’s right to vote, the second-wave feminism of the 1960s and late 70s rallied for every aspect of a women’s social experience; from family, work and even sexuality. The only problem was that the social movement only rallied for a specific archetype of women— white women. Other women of different social, racial and cultural backgrounds were excluded from the feminist outcries.This one-dimensional form of feminism is known as ‘white feminism’. White feminism aims to empower a demographic of women that already upheld some sort of power and privilege over women of color and those of the LGBTQ community. But as Audre Lorde conceptualizes in her article, “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House”, “As women, we have been taught either to ignore our differences, or to view them as causes for separation and suspicion rather than as forces for change.” While white women were rallying for their freedom, women of color were fighting for their survival. White feminism always lacked coalition and the sense of community needed to truly combat oppression, thus perpetuating it.
Social change can never be fully revolutionary without intersectionality. Social change should never be comfortable. Our generation has a habit of demanding “safe spaces”, but provides immunity for only that individual. Safe spaces are fundamental for creating a hospitable community where those of any walk of life are welcomed. However, one of the most common misunderstandings of safe spaces is that they exist for the sole purpose of avoiding the diverse opinions and perspectives of others. Metaphorically, safe spaces should never become echo chambers. In Sister Outsider, Audre Lorde reveals that, “To allow women of Color to step out of stereotypes is too guilt provoking, for it threatens the complancey of those women who view oppression only in terms of sex.” In regards to white feminism, women’s liberation should and will not be orchestrated by white women alone. Real social change is intersectional. Intersectional feminism creates conversation and thus broadens understanding amongst women of diverse subcultures. Although intersectionality was originally explored by black feminist scholars in an attempt to modify the realms of white feminism, the concept of intersectionality can be applied to understanding the complexities of social hierarchies and aid in the practice of collectivism within activism.
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