One Good Thing: Intersectionality as a Path to Collective Liberation

"Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare." Audre Lorde

Intersectionality Is More Than a Framework It’s a Love Language

Too often, intersectionality is framed solely as a way to recognize compounded oppression. But what if we shifted the lens??

What if this shift allowed for it to also become a tool for power, strategy, and community-building, a blueprint for collective liberation rather than just survival?

Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw’s work gave us the language, but Black women, femmes, and trans women have been living the practice for generations. Intersectionality is not just about identifying oppression it’s about shaping movements, policies, and relationships that actually hold space for the fullness of who we are.

But more importantly who we might are be if? humanity is achieved not just some but for all.

Black Women as Movement Architects, Not Just Survivors

From the Combahee River Collective to contemporary Black feminists, intersectionality has shaped some of the most effective and inclusive justice movements in history. Black women are not just navigating oppression; they are architects of liberation.?

Our leadership has expanded movements beyond narrow agendas, ensuring that conversations about gender include race, that discussions of labor include care work, and that fights for justice include all marginalized people.

We are seeing the fruits of this leadership in the ways that:?

? Reproductive justice is expanding beyond abortion access to include Black maternal health, trans-inclusive policies, and the right to raise children in safe environments.?

? Black femmes and trans women are demanding protection and respect in movement spaces instead of being erased from the conversation.?

? Survivor-centered approaches to gender-based violence are being led by Black women who understand that true safety goes beyond policing.

What Liberation Looks Like When We Get Intersectionality Right

Intersectionality is not just a concept; it is a tool for reimagining a world where justice is holistic. When we truly apply it, we create policies, activism, and everyday interactions that prioritize care over exclusion, community over hierarchy, and thriving over mere survival. This means paying Black women what they are worth because economic justice is both gender justice and racial justice. It means protecting Black trans women because their lives matter beyond hashtags. It requires us to honor Black femmes as thought leaders, recognizing that their wisdom has guided every movement for justice, whether credited or not. And it demands that we defend Black motherhood, ensuring that Black mothers have the right to live fully, not just struggle to exist.

Intersectionality as a Love Language

What if we understood intersectionality not just as a political framework, but as an act of care? Recognizing and addressing someone’s multiple identities is a form of love whether in friendships, families, or organizing spaces.

Showing up for Black women, femmes, and trans women is about more than survival it’s about building a world where they thrive. It means valuing their labor, ensuring their safety, and making room for their leadership without hesitation or conditions.

One Good Thing to Take Away

Intersectionality doesn’t have to be about constantly fighting to be seen, it can be about building spaces where Black women, femmes, and trans women are automatically included, celebrated, and cared for.

Intersectionality is not just a concept. It’s also a call to action.?

It’s a tool for reimagining a world where justice is holistic, where we prioritize care over exclusion, community over hierarchy, and thriving over mere survival.?

This means paying Black women what they are worth because economic justice is both gender and racial justice. It means protecting Black trans women because their lives matter beyond hashtags. It requires us to honor Black femmes as thought leaders, recognizing that their wisdom has shaped every justice movement. And it demands that we defend Black motherhood, ensuring Black mothers can live fully, not just fight to exist.

If you’re committed to not just talking about justice, but practicing it, my Loving Black People: A Practice and Discipline Guidebook is for you. This digital guide is designed to move you from awareness to action because loving Black people should be a daily practice, not just a performance.

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?? Subscribe to One Good Thing for more reflections on Black wisdom keeping, collective liberation, justice, and joy!

This Women’s History Month, let’s celebrate intersectionality not just as a theory, but as an everyday practice of love, justice, and liberation. And let’s build a world where intersectionality isn’t just acknowledged, it’s also applied.