Equality is a never ending battle. As a society, we are in constant flux. Laws are proposed, changes occur, social norms fade in and out. However, the fight for equality is not one for a solitary issue, but rather one for a net goal. Similar to the mystical idea of perfection, it is something that can never be truly achieved, because the standards are ever changing. Therefore, no one accomplishment can solve the plethora of problems faced by the oppressed. This doesn’t mean we as a people should give up of course, but continue to strive for an idyllic reality. We must adjust to the changing of times, maintain open minds and hearts, and consider issues as they present themselves.
It’s been said many times that the only true constant is change, and I couldn’t agree with something more. This is why I believe that we should allow the political growths and setbacks, or changes to continue to influence our fight for equality. It is why I say we are never truly finished. This brings me to intersectionality, which is defined in The Oxford English Dictionary as “the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class [and gender]…[regarding the creation of] overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.”
In first-wave feminism, defined most commonly by the suffragette movement, there was one specific goal to propel women towards equality. Quite simply, it was the push to gain the right to vote. With the right to vote, women would be able to have a voice within government, and even though women were never a true minority per se, they were treated as one, most obviously in their exclusion from documents like The Constitution of the United States. True minorities in the United States at the time included non-white men and their female counterparts whom also lacked the right to vote. However, while their respective movements towards suffrage coincided, they were largely separate issues. The movements lacked the mentality of togetherness that they could’ve capitalized on, arguably making them a stronger unit. Retrospectively, we know the outcome of each movement. African-american men were the first to gain suffrage, then women, although white suffragettes were not all fighting for their african-american sisters. In fact, suffragettes of color were increasingly marginalized during this time, most evident at the famous Seneca Falls Convention.
The Seneca Falls Convention advocated for the suffrage of white, married, upper-class women, and not so much for the suffrage of their working class or single counterparts, let alone women of color. This schism was only nurtured by growing class and racial divides of the mid 1900’s within the nation, and it wasn’t until much later that the concept of unity among marginalized groups became something people advocated for in large numbers.
The term intersectionality was coined in the early 90’s by Kimberle Crenshaw, a lawyer and civil rights activist of color who pushed for the unification of those fighting for equality of any kind. To quote, “When feminism does not explicitly oppose racism, and when anti-racism does not incorporate opposition to patriarchy, race and gender politics often end up being antagonistic to each other, and both interests lose.”
Intersectionality is the theory of overlap- the importance of acknowledging the interconnected existence of equal rights issues. Through accepting that true feminism is intersectional feminism, one is aiding in the progression of achieving equality. Not only is it more effective to embrace the interconnectedness of these issues, but it is fitting of the goal. Because it is not forward thinking to separate issues that all stem from fear and hate, and end in discrimination and systemic oppression. Because without intersectionality, we as a collective are perpetuating the mindset that equality is a single-issue campaign, that is neither constant nor capable of growth. We are closing ourselves off to supporting progress and social change in all areas, rather than just one. We must focus on strengthening marginalized groups through understanding their relationships, how they each fit into the sociopolitical equation that defines our culture. Intersectional feminism isn’t just about women’s rights, it’s about the never ending struggle for equality and all that are fighting for it.