Kimberlé Crenshaw, The Introduction of Intersectionality

Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term intersectionality in 1989.

She argued that:

• systems of power (racism, sexism, classism, etc.) overlap
• focusing on only one axis of inequality hides the experiences of those at the margins

Her original work focused on Black women in the US, showing how they were excluded from both:

• feminist politics (which centred white women), and
• anti-racist politics (which centred Black men).

Her famous idea: discrimination works like intersecting roads — you can be hit from multiple directions at once.

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