Week 6 - Assignment B: "Teaching at the Intersections" - Bell (2016)

Week 6 - Assignment B: "Teaching at the Intersections" - Bell (2016)

I started off this week’s lesson by watching the YouTube video “5 Tips for Being An Ally” by chescaleigh first. This was not the first time I have seen this video, as I had watched it during a training for TFA, but it was definitely a nice refresher. Often times when doing work such as teaching or pretty much any job where you interact with others you forget about the ways in which your actions can positively affect others. My favorite thing she says is, “It’s not about your intent, it’s about your impact” – this in itself is SO powerful. Often times, we try to cover things up by saying “Oh, well I’m sure they didn’t mean that”. Well, guess what? It isn’t about intent, it’s about the ways in which we can make our society better. Anyways, this video connected very well to the article. Bell (2016) starts off by sharing a case study of a student named Nicole. Let’s just say this made me think about one student that is in my 5^th period class and everything Bell (2016) described made sense. First, it is important to bring out and highlight the definition of intersectionality, which Bell writes as, “Intersectionality refers to the social, economic and political ways in which identity-based systems of oppression and privilege connect, overlap and influence one another.” To understand what this article is even discussing, knowing this definition is essential. To further enhance my understanding of intersectionality, I did a little more research and came across this TED Talk by Kimberlé Crenshaw at TEDWomen 2016. Here is the link: https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare 

She begins the discussion with an exercise about awareness of African American violence and who is victimized by these issues in society. The point that she makes is that the names of the individuals who we as a society recognize and are aware of deaths caused by police violence through the names of male individuals but are often unaware of the female victims. Her discussion revolves around the fact that there are multiple levels of social injustices that overlap because of the concept of intersectionality. This idea connects directly back to what Bell (2016) discusses in her article. Bell (2016) states, “In Nicole’s case, the problems she faces aren’t just about her multiple identities, but stem from the multiplied oppressions that accompany her particular combination of identities: Her situation reflects the experiences of low-income people more than affluent people, girls more than boys and black students more than white students. “ There is no situation that is black or white and it is important to see the overlap between identities to better understand the ways in which society affects each role individually and then together. Another part of Bell’s (2016) article that I really liked was the discussion of intersectionality in the court system. Bell (2016) states, “Crenshaw argued that the court’s failure to see the ways in which sex and race compounded the injustice against the plaintiffs indicated a systemic failure—one that isn’t limited only to black women” which again further enhances the discussion we are already having. I still wonder where the direction of our courts is headed in today’s society. Are they changing with our current administration? Can they? Will they further neglect the idea of intersectionality? Ugh. Sorry, so many questions.