How intersectionality is helping us build a better future

I firmly agree with sociologist Professor Nancy López that building a better future starts with illuminating equalities. And that creating tailored solutions that address these will create a more just world for ourselves and our children.

We invited Professor López to be our guest speaker at our fifth #Imagine webinar. Our #imagine webinars are a series of webinars we kicked off last year to help us harness the power of our dreams and our imagination. I, for one, love how they create a space where we connect outside our company to stimulate our curiosity. I find they help me take a step back and reflect on the challenges and opportunities the world is facing right now.

Professor López gave her 30-minute talk the very apt title What’s your street race? UCBers from around the world joined the thought-provoking online session to learn how intersectionality is an essential tool for practicing critical race, gender and class equity.

We learnt that street race – a concept she came up with to reflect the social meanings assigned to you based on what you look like – is a relationship of power that changes depending on which country you’re in. These meanings assigned to you shape your experiences: your access s to healthcare, housing, and even voting rights.

Giving practical tips on how we create a more just world, Professor López revealed how ignorant or insulting opinions can be opportunities for deeper conversation and reflection. She highlighted the importance of creating narratives anchored in your experience that also shift and create bridges of understanding.

During the session, we also learnt the difference between equity and equality: the former being about providing whatever is needed to create fairness; the later being about merely providing the same to everyone without considering their specific needs. And we learnt how intersectionality is an analytical tool to help us illuminate inequalities and create tailored solutions.

Her powerful messages hit me at the core. I pledge to ensure not only race but also gender and class equity at UCB. And I promise to do my utmost to build a UCB as a world-leader in providing the equity lifts we need to create fairness for one and all.

As I said earlier, our #imagine sessions are a space for us to be curious and imagine, a space for us to step back and reflect on the challenges and opportunities the world is facing right now. And Professor López’s talk certainly gave us food for thought to help us to do just that.