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Intersectionality Is Crucial for Culturally Responsive & Sustaining Environments Equity Digest NOVEMBER, 2018 VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 INTERSECTIONALITY IS CRUCIAL FOR CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE & SUSTAINING ENVIRONMENTS Welcome to Equity Digest! This newsletter is for education Understanding Identity Get Informed stakeholders (e.g. community members, caregivers) who have Social identity is defined as a person’s When Systems of Oppression Compound & an interest in supporting educational equity in their school sense of who they are based upon their Interact communities. What is educational equity? Educational equity group membership(s) (McLeod, 2018). can be defined as beliefs, actions, and policies that enable all People with certain social identities have students to have access to and participate in quality learning In this issue of Equity Digest, we explore why it faced oppression, exclusion, and environments and experience successful outcomes. Each is important for educators to understand the mistreatment throughout history—these are Equity Digest explains the concepts and findings of the latest concept of intersectionality. Educators must known as historically marginalized identities. academic research surrounding a particular equity-focused understand the myriad ways in which their Minoritized groups are socially constructed topic. The intent of this periodical is to relay equity concepts students experience the world in order to groups based on identity markers (e.g. and supporting research, “digesting” key findings so you can inform culturally responsive and sustaining gender, race, dis/ability, etc.) that as a result draw informed conclusions. The Digest also offers ways that practices in the classroom. In this manner, they of systemic bias have less power or you can advance equitable practices in your school community. can better serve their students and ensure an representation compared to other members Enjoy! equitable, responsive education for all. or groups in society. stakeholders must recognize their students’ Intersectionality as an area of study has roots in intersectionality--how racism, sexism, classism, critical legal studies and Black feminism, as well as and other “isms” operate together to create Critical Race Theory (Jackson et al, 2018). In 1989, complex, overlapping systems of oppressions that Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term to explain both exacerbate the impact of discriminatory inequitable legal protections for Black women, practices and also create new areas of although there were legal protections for Black discrimination (Kyser, 2017). people (but only Black men), as well as women (but in reality only White women) (Jackson et al, 2018). Intersectionality is defined as the ways in which Other Female Scholars of Color, including bell Students are more likely to engage in an systems of oppression and privilege connect and hooks (1981), Patricia Hill Collins (1990), Gloria educational environment where they are felt, influence each other, resulting in the compounding Anzaldúa (1987), and many more, expanded and understood, and heard, and where learning is of prejudicial treatment of individuals having multiple expounded upon the concept of intersectionality as applicable to their daily lives, successes, and historically marginalized identities (Crenshaw, it related to the intersection of race and gender, and struggles. It is essential for educators and 1989), as well as creating new forms of how sex discrimination and exclusion was stakeholders to understand intersectionality such discrimination (Jackson, Coomer, Sanborn, Dagli, compounded for Women of Color. Over time, the that they understand the needs of their students, Martinez Hoy, Skelton, & Thorius, 2018). When we concept of intersectionality broadened to include and work to create learning environments where say systems of oppression, we are talking about other historically marginalized identities as well all students feel understood and valued—where all how social, economic, and political systems have (Collins & Blige, 2016; Gillborn, 2015; Jackson et al, students want to engage in learning. historically favored some based on their identities, 2018). while marginalizing others. Understanding the History of Intersectionality Understanding Intersectionality in the Context is Important Intersectionality & Student Engagement of Education Learning and comprehending the history behind While diversity is often thought of as racial/ethnic U.S. education discourse is not responsive to how the concept of intersectionality is important in diversity, true diversity means a broad array of students holding multiple marginalizing social order to understand what often happens to identities are included (Jackson, Coomer, Dagli, identities experience intersectionality in school and students with multiple, historically marginalized Skelton, Kyser, & Thorius, 2017). In education as in how it shapes their learning (Chavous, Rivas-Drake, identities—identity erasure (Jackson et al, 2018). society at large, status quo policies, practices, and Smalls, Griffin, & Cogburn, 2008). Educators need Before the appearance of intersectionality in structures reflect the cultural norm most often to become aware of how students possessing scholarly literature, Sojourner Truth, who was born demonstrated by cis-male, White, heterosexual, non multiple marginalized social identities are affected into slavery, escaped and became an abolitionist dis/abled, and Christian people. What if students by educational inequities. and women’s rights activist, addressed the issue in don’t see themselves in the status quo? How do you her speech at the 1851 Women’s Rights think they feel about school? Convention in Akron, Ohio, “Ain’t I a Woman,” Intersectionality is Not the Same As Multiple where she relays how Black woman are treated Identities Learning is deepened when instruction is relevant to very differently compared to White women, at the In popular discourse, intersectionality is often all students, as well as if students feel that their intersections of gender, race, and class (Zwier, misunderstood. Some have used the term to mean teachers truly understand them and are making an Grant, & Zwier, 2014; Jackson et al, 2018). having multiple social identities such as, being authentic effort to get to know them as people and male, White, and middle class. However, this is a to include them in learning activities. Educators and misuse of the concept. Intersectionality is specific to 2 12 the ways in which having multiple historically cultures, and centering historically marginalized As you can see from this example, intersectionality marginalized identities compounds the prejudicial identities. When educators engage in culturally is complex. By building your understanding of treatment and inequities experienced by an responsive and sustaining practices, they attend to intersectionality, you will be better able to recognize individual with those identities. It is not about having students’ intersectionality, understanding that race, those policies and practices that discriminate and multiple personal characteristics or even multiple gender, sexual identity, dis/ability, language, oppress students who possess multiple historically social identities; intersectionality is about having religion, national origin, and class work together marginalized identities. multiple identities that have historically been and are and compound upon each other in different and presently discriminated against in society, such as unique ways (Jackson et al, 2018). When being woman with a dis/ability. intersectionality is understood and appreciated, teaching practices become more holistic and Interrogating Power & Privilege inclusive (Waitoller & Thorius, 2016). It is the responsibility of educators, administrators, and education stakeholders to explore their own An example of intersectionality is the treatment of power and privilege in relation to minoritized students of Color (a marginalized group) who also students—their positionality—in order to identify as LGBTQ+ (another group that is comprehend how their own identities affect their marginalized in our society). Research finds that Students Engage When Their Intersectionality is interactions with these students (Alcoff, 1988; Black LGBTQ+ students were found to experience Appreciated Maher & Tetreault, 1993; Takacs, 2003; Jackson et higher frequencies of victimization based upon When you attend to intersectionality, you are al, 2018). It’s also of vital importance to ascertain race/ethnicity and sexual orientation than recognizing that each student with multiple the complex oppressions experienced by students individuals who are White and LBGTQ+ (Kosciw, historically marginalized identities is an individual, with multiple historically marginalized identities in Greytak, Giga, Villenas, & Danischewski, 2015). If and that they are subjected to multiple interacting order to grasp the discrimination they encounter in one understands intersectionality, then one might and compounding systemic oppressions. society and at school. By better understanding come to the conclusion that the ally club at school students’ lived experiences and needs, we can may not be enough support if it is mostly White better ensure that all students have an equitable individuals. In addition, one would realize that the Disrupting the Deficit Perspective opportunity to learn and succeed. bullying and harassment policy needs to be Traditional conversations around disparities in expanded to include race/ethnicity-based education are focused on outcomes (Coomer, harassment
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