August is Intersectionality Awareness Month, dedicated to exploring and understanding intersectionality, a term coined in the 1980s by UCLA and Columbia law professor Kimberlé Crenshaw that seeks to define the overlapping oppressions that people who are part of multiple marginalized groups experience.
“Intersectionality draws attention to invisibilities that exist in feminism, in anti-racism, in class politics.” “It takes a lot of work to consistently challenge ourselves to be attentive to aspects of power that we don’t ourselves experience.”
Advocacy work is rooted in addressing intersectional issues of race and reproductive rights, disability rights, voting rights, economic justice, the housing crisis, ending violence against women, racial justice, LGBTQIA+ rights and constitutional equality.
Intersectionality Awareness Month is a time to note how the different parts of who we are, like race, gender, age, ability, LGBTQIA+ and more, come together to shape our experiences. Understanding intersectionality helps us to get out of our silos and see the full picture of what people go through and how we can better support each other.
This month is a good time to remind ourselves that, as Kimberlé Crenshaw says:” If you see inequality as a ‘them’ problem or an ‘unfortunate other’ problem – that is the problem.”
Inclusion isn’t about just about ‘helping’ a colleague overcome hurdles; it is about recognizing that when we ignore systemic barriers at work, we compromise our entire team’s potential. Within WNYIL, when we overlook the unique challenges our coworkers face, we don’t just fail them—we weaken the collective strength of our organization. True equity requires us to move past seeing inequality as someone else’s problem and instead work together to dismantle the barriers that hold any member of this organization or in our community back.
Intersectionality calls on us to see those who are most affected by crises and inequality. In today’s climate of intersecting forms of oppression and discrimination, this focus is needed more than ever. (Some portions taken from NOW Celebrates Intersectionality Month 2025, Kimberle Crenshaw on Intersectionality April 2014, updated, October 2023 by Bim Adewanmi).