What is Intersectionality?
Intersectionality is a framework for understanding how different aspects of a person’s identity—such as race, gender, sexuality, disability, class (past and present), and more—overlap and intersect, shaping their unique experiences of both oppression and privilege. These intersecting factors are what make us multi-layered individuals, as one aspect of our identities influences the other aspects of our identities to paint the full picture of who we are.
Legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term “intersectionality” in 1989 to describe how overlapping identities create unique experiences of discrimination. Inspired by cases like DeGraffenreid v. General Motors, where Black women faced layoffs due to a seniority policy that impacted them specifically, Crenshaw explained that these women’s experiences could not be fully understood through race or gender discrimination alone. This is why Crenshaw suggests seeing intersectionality as a prism – it is a multifaceted lens through which to examine the relationships between identities, privilege, discrimination, bias and oppression, and thereby work towards equity.
While the foundational history of intersectionality has centered on adults, the same is of course true for young children. The Sharing a Vision 2025 conference theme is “Everyone Belongs Here: Embracing Intersectional Identities” for a few key reasons:
- Children have multiple identities, and this informs the way they experience the world, how they are treated, and how they ultimately come to understand themselves and their value.
- Research continues to show that negative biases amongst adults working with young children can have harmful, long-term impacts for children. This includes disproportionality in children who are identified for special education services, placement of children in segregated settings, and even preschool suspension and expulsion. This is especially the case for young children with multiple marginalized identities.
- In order to truly promote belonging for each and every child, it is critical that Early Childhood professionals across all settings seek to understand and embrace children’s intersectional identities. It is essential for the wellbeing of our youngest learners that all their identities be valued, respected, and celebrated.
