Back to blog
What comes to mind when you think of women’s history month? What comes to mind when you think of women’s history? When it came time to write this post, I struggled a bit: there’s a vastness and complexity there, obviously, that’s difficult to boil down for a Slack post. When I think specifically about various iterations of feminist movements in the US specifically, there’s a tension – around who is uplifted, who is left out, and who specifically tells these stories.
Director of Education Sales
What comes to mind when you think of women’s history month? What comes to mind when you think of women’s history? When it came time to write this post, I struggled a bit: there’s a vastness and complexity there, obviously, that’s difficult to boil down for a Slack post. When I think specifically about various iterations of feminist movements in the US specifically, there’s a tension – around who is uplifted, who is left out, and who specifically tells these stories.
In that vein, I want to highlight the work of Kimberlé Crenshaw. If you know the name Kimberlé Crenshaw, you’re likely familiar with the concept of intersectionality, a term that she coined in the 1980s. As Dr. Crenshaw recently defined it herself, “It’s basically a lens, a prism, for seeing the way in which various forms of inequality often operate together and exacerbate each other. We tend to talk about race inequality as separate from inequality based on gender, class, sexuality or immigrant status. What’s often missing is how some people are subject to all of these, and the experience is not just the sum of its parts.”
Of course, there’s more to the story than a short Slack post could ever hope to fully explore. Intersectionality was created by Dr. Crenshaw as a legal term, first mentioned in a paper where she focused on court cases that were concerned with several types of discrimination. The term has taken on a life of its own in social justice spaces. (I’m linking a few articles below that highlight the evolution of understanding of intersectionality.)
So why have I focused on this concept as part of this post? For one, I wanted to highlight a woman who’s work and scholarship opened up new worlds of understanding for me when I was a baby feminist in my first Women’s Studies classes in undergrad in the mid-2000s. But also, the concept of intersectionality is a way through which I can work through the tension I mentioned above, and a reminder to remember, honor, and uplift the complex identities and lived experiences of those with whom I'm in community.
On that note, I’m looking forward to supporting organizations that uplift women and girls with an intersectional approach in honor of Women’s History Month. I’m sharing who I’ll be donating to here (and taking advantage of our company match for the 501c3s )—feel free to chime in in the thread with any organizations you’d like to highlight, as well!
Further reading on intersectionality:
Before GetThru, Rachel spent years in higher education and non-profit fundraising. She now brings that experience to our education clients, where she provides strategic support and sales expertise. Outside of work, you can find her listening to Broadway musicals, making pasta from scratch, or hanging out with her dog, Sadie (sometimes all at the same time!).
