Intersectionality
Sometimes there is a question about why race is centered in these recommendations as opposed to LGBTQ+ & 2S or disability justice for example. There are many ways to include intersectionality by focusing on folks of color with additional identities of resilience such as BIPOC who are LGBTQ+ & 2S or BIPOC with disabilities. In this way many communities can benefit from this lens of intersectionality. But there are some core reasons we also want to be intentional to center race:
If race is not centered, DEI conversations can quickly become white-washed and avoidant of exposing white supremacy.
Our economy still has major aspects of racial exclusion that need to be addressed.
As we build strategies against racism, we can use similar foundations to begin addressing other aspects of oppression.
This doesn’t mean that we only think of race. It means starting a practice of doing everything with a racial equity analysis. There’s plenty of justice to go around if we collaborate and apply racism-ending strategies to sexism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, ageism, etc.
We need to recognize also that many people of color have compounding intersectional identities. People of color are also elders, people with disabilities, LGBTQ, women, etc. When we focus on race we can additionally honor the needs of POC with intersectional identities. Focusing on what a trans, disabled, LGBTQ woman would need to navigate the business world will benefit multiple communities at once. This is using targeted strategies to reach universal goals and is the definition of targeted universalism.
A good example of the importance of targeted universalism is the gender wage gap. We often hear the statistic that women are typically paid just 79 cents for every dollar paid to men. This is certainly meaningful and must be addressed. But did you know that this statistic refers to the wage gap between white, non-Hispanic women and to white, non-Hispanic men? This statistic centers white women, as opposed to women of color. If we disaggregate the wage gap by race, for every dollar paid to men:
Latinas earn 54 cents
Native American women earn 58 cents
Black women earn 62 cents
White women earn 79 cents
Asian American women earn 90 cents
This demonstrates why strategies for closing the gender wage gap should be targeted to those most marginalized, (i.e. centering women of color instead of looking at the wage gap overall, or centering white women)
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