Volume 1, Number 7 (September 10, 2024)

So we’re back! Intersectionalia’s back! The Intersectionality Research Salons are back! And the race for president is in full swing, with implications aplenty for intersectionality (see the June 2024 “In the Know About Intersectionality” section of Intersectionalia where we spelled out the horror show that is Project 2025). Welcome back y’all, and buckle up. It’s going to be a bumpy fall.

Cheers,

Lisa Bowleg, PhD, MA
Founder & President
Intersectionality Training Institute

Black Women for Harris, Black Gay and Queer Men for Harris, White Dudes for Harris… and The Intersectionality of It All

Harris’ candidacy and much of the political backlash against CRT and intersectionality that preceded it, highlights another way to think about the right wing’s use of intersectionality as political strategy. In June 2024, Dr. Patrick Grzanka in his must-see presidential address to the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, titled Intersectionality and Fascism: Harnessing Critical Psychology to Disarm Weapons of Mass Destruction, explained how the Republican rightwing is using intersectional logics, albeit with none of intersectionality’s commitments to social justice and equity, to corrupt democracy. Check it out.

And then, on the other hand, are these multi-thousands of people, grassroots Zoom calls organized by intersectional groups in support of Vice President Harris’s campaign. First out of the gate on July 21st, the evening that President Biden announced that he would not seek a second term, was Black Women for Harris with 44,000 attendees who raised $1.5 million; the following day, Black Men for Harris drew 232,000 attendees, and then it was on. July 23rd brought Latinos for Harris, and on the 24^th, AANHPI Women for Harris, South Asian Women for Harris.  By July 25th, White Women for Harris were Zooming in, but the group that really summoned lots of media attention were White Dudes for Harris on July 29th.

An August 17th Washington Post article catalogued the mushrooming of groups, which predictably have transcended the initial intersectional groups to include all manner of niche and interest and hobby groups such as Cat Ladies for Kamala, and Swifties for Kamala. Curiously, the Washington Post article failed to mention that on July 25th a Zoom call for Black Gay and Queer Men for Harris drew 3,000 attendees, including Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff! Even I who, because I am not on social media am the last to know everything, knew about the call thanks to one of my podcasts. The New York Amsterdam News covered the story, but as far as I can see, not the mainstream media.

Lots to ponder here from an intersectional perspective. It’s all here: Who is included when we say intersectional groups? Who is rendered intersectionally invisible (see Purdie-Vaughns & Eibach, 2008) and why? We have the example of the Black Gay and Queer Men Zoom call, but who else don’t we know about and why?

The issue of whiteness as an identity grouping has intrigued me most. Historically, when white people in the U.S. have organized under the mantle of whiteness, it’s been in service of white supremacy. As such, whiteness remains what the sociologists call an unmarked category. White people in the U.S. get to just be people, their skin color/racial status mostly goes unmentioned in the media and everyday discourse.  So, what to make of the White Women and White Dudes for Harris? Frankly, I find it wonderful and welcome. I read in accounts of these groups that some participants were uncomfortable and hesitant about the meaning of the groups, and what it meant to identify as white. This is good and welcomed introspection. As I read about the groups, Jennifer Nash’s excellent 2008 article, “Re-thinking Intersectionality.” Among the many gems, Nash asks, “who is intersectional?” (p. 9), that is “whether all identities are intersectional or whether only multiple marginalized subjects have an intersectional identity?” (p. 9). Intersectionality’s attention to the “ebb and flow” of power and privilege as Patria Hill Collins has described it, how one can be marginalized in one context, and the oppressor in another clarifies (for me at least) that intersectionality is expansive enough to include the complex and nuances axes of power and privilege that all of these different groups Zooming in to mobilize support and raise money for Vice President Harris highlight. Answering Nash’s question, intersectionality scholar Nira Yuval-Davis advocates for a situated intersectionality  approach that applies intersectionality to all people: “our analytical intersectional gaze has to be directed also towards the powerful and not just the powerless” (Yuval-Davis, 2015, p. 638). Obviously, this is not settled territory; there are contestations and perspectives aplenty on this topic.

Asked to opine on the phenomenon of white people organizing on Zoom to support Vice President Harris’ candidacy, intersectionality luminary and scholar, Kimberlé Crenshaw said in a Vox interview that the identity-based grassroots organizing made her feel hopeful.  Asked about her initial reaction when she first learned about the fundraising events like White Dudes for Harris and White Women: Answer the Call, Crenshaw noted:

In the Black male group, they’re talking about sexism.  I mean, that’s a huge moment.  In the white women’s group, they’re talking about racism.  So yeah, this may be what [legal scholar and civil rights activist] Derrick Bell called interest convergence.  There is a converging interest between those of us who think, talk, and write about intersectionality and those who want to save this democracy.  They now have to think in intersectional terms.  Now that means white women thinking about racism, Black men, thinking about sexism, white men thinking about both of these things. It is a remarkable moment to see these formations come together and the conversations that they think are important to have.

As one “who think[s], talk[s], and write[s] about intersectionality,” I concur, wholeheartedly.

References

• Nash, J. C. (2008). Re-thinking intersectionality. Feminist Review, 89, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1057/fr.2008.4
• Purdie-Vaughns, V. J., & Eibach, R. (2008). Intersectional invisibility: The distinctive advantages and disadvantages of multiple subordinate-group identities. Sex Roles, 59(5-6), 377-391. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9424-4
• Yuval-Davis, N. (2017). Situated Intersectionality and the meanings of culture. Europa Fortaleza. Fronteiras, Valados, Exilios, Migracións, 18. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://consellodacultura.gal/mediateca/extras/Texto_Nira_maquetado.pdf
• Yuval-Davis, N. (2015). Situated intersectionality: A reflection on Ange-Marie Hancock’s forthcoming book: intersectionality—an intellectual history. New Political Science, 37(4), 637-642. https://doi.org/10.1080/07393148.2015.1089045

“For us, good mentorship must include deep cultural humility, learning about the impact of systemic oppressions on present-day opportunities and experiences of mentees, and actively working to change systems that perpetuate inequities – all core tenets of intersectional mentorship.”

An Interview with Jae Sevelius, PhD (ISI 2022)

 

Congratulations on the new article. What’s intersectional mentorship? And why is it important?

Intersectionality is a lens through which we can think about power and privilege, so to us, its applicability to interpersonal relationships in the context of hierarchical academic institutions is clear. Intersectional mentoring is about consciously considering and intentionally seeking to mitigate negative impacts of power dynamics in the mentor-mentee relationship. Jae initially wrote about this idea in their K24 midcareer mentoring award proposal to NIDA [the National Institutes on Drug Abuse] to formally explore how we might think about mentorship using an intersectional framework. As investigators who had been both giving and receiving mentorship for many years, we deeply understood the value of quality mentorship and authentic relationships with mentors and mentees. For us, good mentorship must include deep cultural humility, learning about the impact of systemic oppressions on present-day opportunities and experiences of mentees, and actively working to change systems that perpetuate inequities – all core tenets of intersectional mentorship.

What’s the backstory of this paper? What made you decide, oh we gotta write this article?

All three of us were in mentoring relationships of one type or another with each other, so we were learning about intersectional mentoring even before we named it that. We wanted to write this article because mentoring in academic medicine is so undervalued but critical to our success as researchers. There has been so much emphasis at NIH about recruiting and retaining a more diverse workforce, and yet, there is little to no training for senior faculty on how to mentor well, especially across differences.

To my knowledge there is just one paper on the topic of intersectional mentoring. How does this new article build on and advance the ideas articulated in the Brown and Montoya’s article?

In 2020, Brown and Montoya were, to our knowledge, the first to propose a model of intersectional mentorship in academia, which they framed around the issue of sexual harassment. They argued that the mentor’s identity is less important than having an intersectional orientation; that is, mentors must be reflexive about their positionality in relation to others. To build on this idea, in our paper we further articulate the application of an intersectional framework to mentoring in academic medicine. We propose that a mentor taking an intersectional approach to mentorship aims to understand, engage with, and transform the ways that interlocking systems of power and privilege impact both their own and their mentees’ experiences, the mentoring needs of their mentees, as well as the mentor–mentee dynamic and relationship. We also identify socio-ecological factors that impact the mentoring relationship and offer several competencies and opportunities for praxis to strengthen the mentor–mentee relationship.

The article focuses primarily on mentors in the academic medicine sphere. Why was it important to focus specifically on this group vs just researchers and/or faculty in general?

We are three researchers who have devoted our careers to advancing health equity. We felt it was important to focus on the context of academic medicine because we need to recruit, support, and retain an intersectionally diverse workforce to address the profound inequities that we see in our communities. We wanted to offer a framework for creating more equitable and supportive environments in which early-stage investigators, particularly those who are underrepresented in medicine (URM), can thrive. While inadequate mentoring in academic medicine is not unique to URM early-stage investigators, it disproportionately impacts those from URM backgrounds.

For those who want to become good intersectional mentors, what are some of the most important competencies they need to do so?  Say, top 3-5 steps.

Overall, intersectional mentoring is about learning how to address intersectional dynamics of power in the mentoring relationship to mitigate harm and optimize benefits. When thinking about competencies, we situated them within socioecological levels of mentoring at an academic institution. At the individual (mentor) level, it is important to understand how one’s intersectional social positions shape one’s own experiences of the institutional environment as well as the mentoring relationship itself (e.g., experiences of microaggressions, implicit bias). At the interpersonal (mentor-mentee) level, it is about actively engaging with and understanding the evolving needs of the mentee throughout the mentor/mentee relationship. At the institutional level, mentors should have the ability to support mentees in navigating experiences of bias and discrimination. Finally, we believe that mentors should cultivate the ability to work collaboratively with mentees toward transforming the culture of academia to end harmful institutional practices.

What are some of the ideas that you had to chop that you would have loved to have included?

Originally, we included a section on why we need more and better intersectional data about faculty in academic medicine. Data on who is represented in academic medicine are most often presented as a single sociodemographic category; that is, we often see data grouped by gender or “race” (the most analyzed categories). For example, when using single category data, it may appear that a certain field is improving in including women and Black faculty, but without intersectional data on the inclusion of Black women we cannot know whether Black women are meaningfully represented. The value of disaggregated data at the intersections of these categories is often not recognized, making intersectionally reported data unavailable and rendering the most extreme disparities invisible.

The other element of publishing this paper that was challenging was finding a journal that was open to a conceptual review of this topic. Data-driven manuscripts are prioritized for good reasons, but our field needs platforms for exploring new ways of thinking and evolving our frameworks as well.

Do you anticipate doing more work on the topic of intersectional mentorship? 

At Columbia, we are planning to develop an intersectional mentoring workshop for faculty at all career stages. We think it is important to acknowledge that mentees are often also mentors, mentorship training should be lifelong for all mentors, and mentees also can benefit from approaching mentoring relationships with an explicitly intersectional lens. We also are looking forward to the opportunity to make the theoretical application of intersectionality more concrete, through interactive skills-building and reflective exercises that mentors and mentees can put into action again and again.

As a member of the inaugural ISI 2022 cohort, what would you say is the one thing that you learned during your time at the Intensive that informed this new article?

I learned the importance of continually reorienting my thinking toward the structural. Trained as a clinical psychologist, I tend to think in terms of how systems of oppression impact the individual and how we can intervene at that level. I still think this is important, because individuals absolutely need support and opportunities to heal from the effects of oppressive experiences. However, by reorienting toward the structural I’ve been motivated to advocate for changes at the institutional level that impact many more people.

In a world that’s ever grim and challenging what things are bringing you joy (could be personal and/or professional) these days?

I’ve been volunteering with an organization that provides dog walking services to people who are elderly and have disabilities who can’t afford to pay for those services. The look on little Frankie’s face when he greets me for our walk every Sunday morning makes me feel like the world isn’t so terrible after all!

What was the last book, piece of music, or art you enjoyed that made you think, “This is so good, I gotta tell everybody about this!”? 

Maybe everyone has already heard (I was late to the party!) but I am currently obsessed with Chappell Roan’s debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess”. As a queer, nonbinary person who loves all things drag, her sex-positive campy aesthetic drew me in, but I stayed for the dance beats and drag queens that open every show!

References

• Brown, N. E., & Montoya, C. (2020). Intersectional mentorship: A model for empowerment and transformation. Political Science and Politics, 53(4), 784-787. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096520000463
• Sevelius, J. M., Harris, O. O., & Bowleg, L. (2024). Intersectional mentorship in academic medicine: A conceptual review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21040503

 

Would you like to be featured in The C³?  We’d love to hear from you.  Please email us at info@intersectionalitytraining.com, subject line: C3 and let us know what you’ve been up to intersectionality-wise, and we’ll be in touch. 
We thank you in advance for your support.

Got something that you’d like to see featured in This, That & The Other? We’d like to know about it.  Please email us at info@intersectionalitytraining.com, subject line: TTTO.  Please let us know what you’ve heard about, read, or seen intersectionality-wise, attach a copy or link, and we may feature it in This, That & The Other.  And of course, we will give you credit for the find.  Thank you in advance.

• They spoke about the inspiring community-led work that Cierra Sisters is doing to advocate for more equitable breast cancer care, treatment, and prevention for Black women; the importance of community-empowered and community-engaged research and breast cancer programs for Black women, and the trials and tribulations (and joys) of community-academic research partnerships.
• The mission of Cierra Sisters is to break the cycle of fear and increase knowledge concerning breast cancer for intersectionally diverse Black/African-American women such as Black lesbian and bisexual women.
• As a primary care physician and health services researcher in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Dr. Leah Marcotte’s research focus is to develop and test innovative primary care delivery approaches among populations who face barriers to accessing health care.
• We viewed the Fred Hutch Cancer Center’s Anti-racism in Oncology: Episode 1, in which Bridgette shares her own personal story about her breast cancer journey and the role of racism in oncology. Together, Fred Hutch Cancer Center and Cierra Sisters have partnered to bring awareness to this very important issue.
• The passion behind Cierra Sisters came after a 1996 visit with her doctor in which Bridgette had to advocate for herself and insist that her doctor give her a mammogram, only to find that she in fact had breast cancer. Her diagnosis shocked her doctor, who had learned in medical school that “Black women do not get breast cancer.”  She noted that her doctor apologized to her after the diagnosis.
• One key takeaway is that the field of oncology has a disturbing history of discriminating against Black women seeking diagnosis or treatment for breast cancer, or providing unequal access or poor treatment, thereby contributing to inequities in breast cancer  disparity in access to care and quality of care for women of color. In fact, Black women are being diagnosed with more advanced breast cancers.
• Bridgette’s call to action is to empower women of color to advocate for themselves in their healthcare and push for policy changes such as stronger anti-discrimination policies for physicians and other health care providers..
• What can researchers learn from this? According to Dr. Marcotte, community-engaged research means changing how the health care system was initially designed to work (i.e., it has historically prioritized care for privileged groups) and having input from members of the community in order to ensure that healthcare is equitable, inclusive, and responsive to the needs and realities of Black women.  Inclusion is a big factor when it comes to creating research studies and ensuring that the language and messaging is reaching intersectionality diverse different groups within the community such as LGBTQ+ people.
• What’s next for Cierra Sisters? They are looking forward to hosting their annual World Cancer Day event on February 8, 2025. If you would like to suggest a great speaker for this event, email: cierra_sisters@hotmail.com. Follow Cierra Sisters on Instagram and Facebook. 

Resources from the Chat:

Articles/Books

• Alcaraz, K. I., Wiedt, T. L., Daniels, E. C., Yabroff, K. R., Guerra, C. E., & Wender, R. C. (2020). Understanding and addressing social determinants to advance cancer health equity in the United States: A blueprint for practice, research, and policy. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 70(1), 31-46. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21586
• Collins, P. H. (2015). Intersectionality’s definitional dilemmas. Annual Review of Sociology, 41(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-073014-112142
• Ganguly, A. P., Oren, H., Jack, H. E., & Abe, R. (2024). Equity M&M — Adaptation of the morbidity and mortality conference to analyze and confront structural inequity in internal medicine. Innovations in Medical Education, 39, 867-872. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-023-08487-8
• Gómez, J. M. (2023). The Cultural Betrayal of Black Women and Girls: A Black Feminist Approach to Healing From Sexual Abuse. American Psychological Association.
• Gómez, J. M., Freyd, J. J., Delva, J., Tracy, B., Mackenzie, L. N., Ray, V., & Weathington, B. (2023). Institutional courage in action: Racism, sexual violence, and concrete institutional change. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 24(2), 157-170. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2023.2168245

Support Resources

• Black Women Rising Cancer Support Project, United Kingdom: https://www.blackwomenrisinguk.org/
• https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2009-04471-001
• How to Protect Your Mental Health Even While Watching the News 

DEI-Related Resources for Physicians 

• ABIM Foundation: https://abimfoundation.org/what-we-do/grants
• Health Equity, Advocacy and Anti-Racism, Internal Medicine Residency Program, University of Washington Medicine