4.4: Articles and Essays

Coastson, J. (2019, May 28). The intersectionality wars. Vox.

When Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term 30 years ago, it was a relatively obscure legal concept. Then it went viral.

Cooper, T. (2021, February 23). Spotlighting the Intersection of Black and Transgender Identities. Human Rights Campaign.

This post is the second of a two-part series focusing on Black History Month through the lens of Black trans women. Read Part One here.

HRC Staff. (2021, February 22). HRC Honors Frances Thompson, a Black Transgender Hero. Human Rights Campaign.

This post is the first of a two-part series focusing on Black History Month through the lens of Black trans women. Includes a link to part two.

Human Rights Campaign. (n.d.) Resources: Tools for Equality and Inclusion. Human Rights Campaign.

Our goal at the Human Rights Campaign is to ensure that every LGBTQ+ person is free to live their life openly, with their equal rights ensured. We know that goal requires that we keep educating, supporting and inspiring ourselves and each other. In the spirit of that continual growth, we’ve compiled information and advice on a range of topics, including resources from the HRC Foundation.

The Learning Network. (2020, June 10). Over 60 New York Times Graphs for Students to Analyze. The New York Times.

A collection of graphs, maps and charts organized by topic and graph type from three years of “What’s Going On in This Graph?”

Lebron, C. (2016, January 15). The Invisibility of Black Women. Boston Review.

Black women go missing—from civil rights history and from our lives.

Lewis, J. A., et al. (2018, September 18). Intersectionality Theory and Microaggressions: Implications for Research, Teaching, and Practice. In Gina C Torino, et al. (Eds.), Microaggression Theory: Influence and Implications (pp. 48-64). John Wiley & Son

This chapter highlights intersectionality theory and ways to apply an intersectional analysis to research on microaggressions. It focuses on microaggressions with special attention to intersections of race, gender, sexual orientation, social class, and religion. Given the importance of making the "invisible visible" in the study of microaggressions, the chapter reviews on research that highlights the impact of intersectional microaggressions on the health of historically marginalized groups. It also highlights directions for future microaggression research that centers an intersectional analysis in the psychological study of people with intersecting identities. The chapter also provides recommendations for educators to engage in intersectional pedagogy. It ends with recommendations for practitioners to better understand intersectional microaggressions to become more culturally competent in their clinical work. The chapter argues that the provided recommendations for research, teaching, and clinical practice are helpful as psychologists seek to apply intersectionality theory to experiences of microaggressions.

Morris, C. (2021, July 28). Intersectionality, the key to effective DEI initiatives. Includr.

Understanding race and intersectionality is critical to building DEI.

Palmer, B.J. (2018, November 8). The Crossroads: Being Black, Immigrant, and Undocumented in the Era of #Blacklivesmatter. Race, Racism and The Law.

Excerpted from: Breanne J. Palmer, The Crossroads: Being Black, Immigrant, and Undocumented in the Era of #Blacklivesmatter, 9 Georgetown Journal of Law & Modern Critical Race Perspectives 99 (Spring, 2017) (Full Document: https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPa...iv=9&id=&page=)

Rainey, et al. (2018). Race and gender differences in how sense of belonging influences decisions to major in STEM. International Journal of STEM Education, 5(10).

Abstract Background: Women and students of color are widely underrepresented in most STEM fields. In order to investigate this underrepresentation, we interviewed 201 college seniors, primarily women and people of color, who either majored in STEM or started but dropped a STEM major. Here we discuss one section of the longer interview that focused on students’ sense of belonging, which has been found to be related to retention. In our analysis, we examine the intersections of race and gender with students’ sense of belonging, a topic largely absent from the current literature. Results: We found that white men were most likely to report a sense of belonging whereas women of color were the least likely. Further, we found that representation within one’s STEM sub-discipline, namely biology versus the physical sciences, impacts sense of belonging for women. Four key factors were found to contribute to sense of belonging for all students interviewed: interpersonal relationships, perceived competence, personal interest, and science identity. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that students who remain in STEM majors report a greater sense of belonging than those who leave STEM. Additionally, we found that students from underrepresented groups are less likely to feel they belong. These findings highlight structural and cultural features of universities, as well as STEM curricula and pedagogy, that continue to privilege white males.

Gamio Cuervo, A. B. (2016, Summer). Latinx: A Brief Handbook. Princeton LGBT Center.

The objective of this guide is to provide a historical context of the term ?Latinx,? clarify common misconceptions of the term, and create space for an adaptive usage of Latinx that both respects non binary individuals and takes into consideration broader community concerns. Since its ambiguous inception, the term Latinx has brought about conversations around identity formation bridging across age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender, and this guide seeks to honor that history. This is important to LGBT* organizations and the LGBTQIA community because LGBT* Latinx are marginalized at the intersection of gender, sexuality, and Latinidad. To be LGBT* and Latinx is to struggle to be your full self within multiple communities. Understanding the complexity of gender inclusive terminology for gender nonconforming and transgender Latinxs provides solidarity and active allyship.