Her hellish hole of Non-being

One of the approaches towards mobilization towards a cause is the assertion of a common identity and a shared set of beliefs. For the civil rights movement, the point of convergence was the assertion of all blacks of being human – thus their mobilization being based on the idea of shared humanity and the struggle to achieve it.

However, Crenshaw and the likes assert the problem faced by Black women of being faced with an intersection of injustice by being black women – on the basis of their race and their gender. The feminist movements of the time were largely discriminatory against black women and while the civil rights movements fought for the rights of the black people, the battle for black women was from over as patriarchy and sexism was a reality still that was far from being realized by the larger movement at that point.

Intersectionality as a concept could be seen as a deviation from the creation of a common, shared goal and even if not, as a second priority. A second priority in the case that we look away from the allegations on King for being sexist by imagining that if it was not for his assassination, working towards the black women’s rights and representation was on the agenda. However, bell hooks would argue that being cognizant of the differences in people and the differences in the oppression that they are faced with is united through intersectionality.

The work on intersectionality has benefited not just the cause of the African American women but also seeks to define the multiple forms of oppression faced by people of various identities on the basis of race, gender, sex etcetera. It provides the solution of giving a name to the problem, Crenshaw describes in the TED talk, as without giving a name to the problem, people will not see the problem and move towards solving it. The issue faced is that while progress has been made on the rights of African-American men and for women globally, African American women still continue to face constant discrimination.

However, intersectional feminism faces the constant challenge of criticism. Does intersectionality go beyond naming the problem? If so, does it do away with the differences and unite people across various identities over struggle against oppressive structures or aggravate differences? Is it too critical of approaches that seek the broadest possible mobilization for a common cause. Laying clarification of the intent of intersectionality and shedding light to the issues in the contemporary and how intersectionality seeks to give a voice to those unrepresented and fight against the ‘hellish hole’ of ‘non-being’ that the black woman is subjected to by black men and all white people.