Kimberlé Crenshaw spoke at GVSU on 1/18/17. Her main points were:
- Resist normalization
- Engage in local struggle
- Creative conflict at home can expand our world
- Practice intersectional fusion politics
- Resist normalization: Inequality isn't natural/normal and should be corrected via many paths including the law. Law helps create and reinforce systems of power. "Color blindness" is perfectly consistent with segregation! It means blindness to racial inequalities. (Saying "I don't see color, I see a person" doesn't work, because it negates the disparities.)
- Intersectional fusion politics = asymetrical solidarities and coalitions. The focus on individual responsibililty instead of structure, institutions, and infrastructure increases disparities. We have to be aware of the underlying realities (e.g., who pays the bills or provides corporate sponsorship to institutions?)
- How do we stay resilient? These tensions are historical, same struggles throughout time, but we keep working on civil rights to build on a deeper idea of what community is.
- Crenshaw recommended the film Agents of Change (2016) which isn't available for purchase yet
- The African American Policy Forum is a good site to get more info: http://www.aapf.org/
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