On a quiet Thursday evening in the Bishop’s Lounge, students and professors gathered in a roundtable to discuss intersectionality and intersectional feminism for Women’s History Month. Hosted by the JEDI center, Chelsey Rocha ‘25 opened the discussion to all attending. The professors included Professor Amy King, Dr. Sonia Del Hierro, Dr. Meagan Solomon, Dr. Adriana Ponce, and Dr. Alexander Goodwin. It is important to note that all faculty present were relatively young. With around fifteen students participating, lively discussion erupted, as personal stories and lived experiences were shared.
Chelsey emphasized that the type of feminism that needs to be represented is intersectional feminism. Dr. Solomon, Southwestern’s Feminist Studies professor, asked someone to define intersectionality and describe what it means, noting that a good handful of her feminist studies students were in attendance. Emily Dimiceli ‘25 answered that it’s “the way that there’s multiple ways of oppression. Be mindful of the way that different marginalized identities will affect others’ marginalized identity; be inclusive and aware.” Heteropatriarchy, capitalism, and colonialism are all systems of oppression that demand the significant need for intersectionality.
Students and Dr. Solomon simultaneously pointed out that the term “intersectionality” was coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw. Crenshaw is an activist who focuses on critical race theory and Black feminism, and the root of the concept of intersectionality. Originally coined to describe how the combination of racism and sexism is experienced by Black women, intersectionality describes a unique form of oppression. The definition has grown to encompass how intersecting axies of oppression create new forms of discrimination. However, even if the term is new, intersectionality is by no means a new concept—it has always existed.
Chelsey asked the group: “After hearing what intersectionality means, what does it mean to you guys and what does it look like in your daily lives, in your classes, and in your work?” Several students spoke up, explaining that everyone experiences intersectionality in different ways, especially in regards to class and the concept of ‘rich vs. poor’.
Professor King prompted a question, asking about students’ experiences with intersectionality. The group proceeded to list many different anecdotes, such as being a first generation student. Another big factor discussed was language, and how if a white person knows both English and Spanish, they are praised for being intelligent. The contradiction is if a non-white individual (Latine was used in this example) knew Spanish and mostly English, they are seen as not “smart enough” for not being fluent. This idea of intelligence also relates to being disabled, and students paralleled the similarities. The disabled community is often discriminated against and called “not smart” simply because they are disabled. Professor King pointed out that this is an “assumption of what you see versus what it actually is.” Neurodivergence was also brought up, discussing discrimination within the neurodivergent community.
Many personal and shared experiences were discussed in confidentiality, but the roundtable also conversed about important topics such as being queer in a “traditional” family, being a person of color and neurodivergent, and the visibility/invisibility of U.S. citizenship status. The faculty present wanted to assure all students that even if social structures and many policies are disabling “there is nothing inherently wrong with you.”
The discussion wrapped up with a final question: What are ways in which you honor your intersectionalities and how do you apply intersectional feminism in your life? Dr. Ponce immediately responded, saying she ensures intersectional feminism in her own child by teaching her its concepts and ideas, and hopes it will latch on to the next generation. Professor King stated that one of the ways she resists is with the language she uses: “Build awareness around the power in your language.”
Chelsey closed by reminding everyone to “be unapologetically yourself – you are not the only one in your experiences feeling these pressures or struggling between these identities.” The JEDI center is a resource for community, one that is happy to receive and support any student.