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Kimberlé Crenshaw on Intersectionality and Critical Race 
Theory 

Nicole R. Perez 
Department of Sociology 

 California State University, Los Angeles 
 
Kimberlé Crenshaw is an American civil rights advocate, a 
professor at both the University of California, Los Angeles School 
of Law and Columbia School of Law, and a founding director of 
the African American Policy Forum. Crenshaw is best known for 
developing the concept of intersectionality, which examines how 
different forms of social inequalities intersect and overlap; for 
example, those experiencing hardships from intersections of race 
and gender. Most people are subjects of intersectionality, since it 
is in all aspects of life, but not enough people reflect on how it 
could be affecting social interactions; therefore, it is important to 
address and focus on intersectionality more often. Crenshaw has 
spent her career working to end discrimination against women of 
color and to promote the interest of marginalized communities. 
She is also the leading scholar of critical race theory (CRT), an 
approach to studying U.S. policies and institutions that originated 
in law schools, as a framework that is used to help people 
understand why racial inequalities exist in society and how they 
can be eradicated. The theory rests on the premise that racial bias 
(intentional or not) is baked into U.S. laws and institutions. 
Crenshaw has argued that “the black racialist account…portrays 
racial power…through its impact on African-American males” 
(Crenshaw et al. 1995:xxxi). This piece is intended to showcase 
why both Crenshaw and her work are still important today, how 
the work has impacted society, and how people are still practicing 
CRT and intersectionality, along with noting the circumstances 
these ideas are being applied to. 

While both CRT and intersectionality analyze social 
power dynamics and oppression, they approach these issues from 
different perspectives. CRT focuses primarily on how race and 
racism are embedded in legal systems and societal structures while 
intersectionality expands this lens to consider how race intersects 
with other forms of identity such as gender, class, and sexuality to 
create unique, layered experiences of oppression. Although CRT 



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provides a critical understanding of systemic racism, 
intersectionality broadens this view by emphasizing that 
oppression cannot be understood in isolation but must account for 
the complexities of multiple, intersecting identities. Together, 
these frameworks offer a greater understanding of the ways in 
which power and privilege shape individuals’ lives in society. 

 
Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality 
CRT has been around for about 50 years, but how did it come to 
be? CRT came out of the Frankfurt School’s critical theory of 
belief that there are systems that exist both institutionally and 
systemically. Critical theory changes how we view society, and 
CRT emphasizes that it must be through a racial lens and not 
through an economic or legal lens. CRT is like a hybrid of critical 
legal studies and liberal civil rights movements (Crenshaw et al. 
1995:xix). Within critical legal studies, laws were used to keep up 
the status quo of the power structures within society. CRT started 
to pop up within the writings of Marcuse and Spinoza, especially 
in the early 1990s. There was this idea that society must give 
preference based on the melanin content of people’s skin, not on 
their actions or choices. Instead, since the U.S. is so unequal and 
inequitable, these founding writers and authors of the term CRT 
believed that this would be a true Marxist type of movement. CRT 
was then fostered and started in many different universities across 
the country. CRT has evolved into terms of wokeism, diversity, 
equity, and inclusion, which are all outgrowths of the postmodern 
deconstructionist viewpoint. Race has been so formally and fully 
structured into our society that CRT is practiced when people of 
color hear police sirens and place both hands on their steering 
wheel. It is practiced when children with darker melanin are given 
‘the talk’ about how police treat people of color. These are the 
lived realities that people used to survive in this world that society 
still views as a post slave society. CRT is still important today 
because it was brought to understand the bitter legacy of racism 
and discrimination that is still continuing in our contemporary 
society. CRT is not racist whatsoever, it's a legal perspective that 
looks at the history of racism and power and how that impacts our 
laws, government, values, morality, standards, and our society at 
large. The problem isn't in the people, the problem is in the 



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institutions. 
Intersectionality is the concept that all oppression is 

linked. This means that intersectionality acknowledges that 
everyone has their own unique experiences of discrimination and 
oppression. It also means that society must consider everything 
and anything that can marginalize people. This includes, but is not 
strictly limited to, gender, race, class, sexual orientation, etc. This 
is so important because it centers around creating more equitable 
and socially-just outcomes for those with minority identities. The 
term intersectionality often gets used in ways that are not totally 
accurate to how Crenshaw actually meant it. People will say there 
are an intersectional feminist, which sounds good, but it is not 
always an accurate way to use the word. Intersectionality is a 
theoretical framework which looks at what happens when 
different systems of oppression intersect such as when someone is 
a woman, Black, and a person with a disability, and so on. That 
brings the question what happens at these intersections? It helps 
people gain a better understanding as to what is going on, but it is 
not actually describing the word. However, it is well-intentioned, 
and people are trying to be inclusive but if they are using that 
language, they have to learn what that language means. It's about 
power and oppression (Bhattacharyya and Berdahl 2023). White 
feminists truly believe that if women were in charge, things would 
be a whole lot different, but that is simply not true. The issue with 
feminism, or the issue with mainstream feminism is it tends to 
cater to white middle-class females. It has been found that white 
people really do not have any experience that focuses on “justice” 
problems (Piatelli 2009:162), along with almost no interactions 
working with Black people. Piatelli (2009) also found that white 
Americans–especially women–do not realize that they are 
privileged in this country. This brings up the focus on people 
saying they don’t see color. This is why Crenshaw works so hard 
and wants people to understand the hardships and disparities that 
Black people have to go through because they don't have a choice 
under racism. Some people believe only Black women can use the 
term intersectionality, however, pretty much anyone could use it 
and that is what creates their unique experiences. 

Feminist theorist bell hooks (2000) expressed how she 
learned about the theories and ideas of feminism through a 



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feminism class. This is important because these are things that 
each individual, especially women, should experience to a certain 
extent. Whether people want to pursue education about these 
things or not, they can learn a lot about feminism, intersectionality, 
and basically the different types of roles and expectations that 
women face. It is definitely worth everyone's time to just back up 
and think about why this concept is important, why it should be 
defined, and why we should learn about it. Not everyone has 
access to college, or basic education in general, so it does make 
sense why not many people understand the exact concepts of the 
feminist theory. However, people have the ability to gain this 
knowledge through so many nonprofit organizations. Community 
organizations that have to do a lot with feminism can help people 
understand how to actually express themselves about how they 
feel about certain issues. Many of the feminist organizations 
promote themselves, in a way, through social media like X, 
Instagram, and Facebook. They have pages where they educate 
people about their organization, what it is about, and what is being 
done. Even aside from the organizations, there are entire accounts 
simply dedicated to the feminist theory. The feminist movement 
does not require people “to join organizations,” but they could 
“work on behalf of feminism” (hooks 2000:116). 
 
CRT and Intersectionality in Schools and the Workplace 
Education is so powerful in the U.S., yet CRT is not talked about 
much through grade school. CRT was originally only “taught in 
law schools, not in public schools” (Henry 2023:1). However, in 
today’s time, you don't have to be someone of higher education to 
think about CRT, although it is complex. The anti-CRT movement 
is built on white supremacy, with some people believing CRT is 
anti-white and un-America and creating a disinformation 
campaign around a theory they know nothing about. Though many 
parents are critical against the teaching of CRT, Christopher Rufo, 
a conservative against CRT, basically became the voice to make 
sure there would be no such thing as CRT in schools. Crenshaw 
was even in agreement “with Rufo that the political debate over 
CRT is a debate over the ‘anti-racist’ project” (Henry 2023:1). A 
few activists also believe that this project is “too ideological” 
(Piatelli 2009:225) because it does not talk about how privilege 



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and oppression go hand in hand. The world does not recognize 
that they are oppressing Black people. For example, in a public 
school system, the neighborhood that has the Black school gets 
less funding because it is lower income, and the white schools that 
are in the better neighborhoods get greater funding. That is one 
idea of systemic racism, and it is a CRT teaching that exists so that 
people can learn from it and try to change it. Schools need CRT 
because they need real history. Schools would not just stop 
teaching what happened during the American Revolution, the 
Civil War, World War I, or World War II because that is important 
for people to know what truly happened, so it is believed that the 
same should go for CRT. Crenshaw worked alongside Richard 
Delgado to make a CRT reading that could be available and easy 
to access for students who were in high school (Ladson-Billings 
2021). Children learning about race will not change how they 
think; it will just give them a better understanding. 

In Trump’s first presidential term, he banned two different 
programs that were designed to teach racial sensitivity. In April 
2022, a bill was passed to “regulate the discussion of race in public 
schools” (Salzman 20202:1071). This bill was passed in over 40 
states and now 35 states have laws against CRT, and it pretty much 
goes hand in hand with banning LGBTIQ+ teachings. The state of 
Texas has the highest Black population, yet they still banned CRT; 
it’s a conservative state, so all the information they get about CRT 
is only information that goes against CRT. Banning a theory brings 
up the issue as to why it is even being banned to begin with. It will 
only end up backfiring on them. If the country makes the laws 
very noticeable and strict, then it makes it easier for people to go 
against it. It is important to understand why this has even become 
a political issue and it is often wondered why these teachings are 
so threatening to some people. White people see it as a threat to 
their race, even if they don't really understand what they're going 
against. It is viewed as if they are triggered by the word ‘race’ and 
automatically think other. They don't want to acknowledge that the 
USA was founded on racism because they will inevitably have to 
question their privilege. 

Intersectionality involves everyone in the conversation, 
and it allows the right amount of equity for those who may 
struggle more because of the intersectionality of their identity. 



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Knowing and understanding intersectionality is key to becoming 
anti-racist. This is because oppression comes in many forms. 
Some people may even use the term intersectional invisibility 
which is basically how women of color are invisible to society, 
and no one is seeing how they are at a disadvantage. The 
complexity of their intersectionality affects their experiences 
within the workplace; research shows how Black women are 
constantly “being subjected to” unfavorable stereotypes 
(Bhattacharyya and Berdahl 2023:1075). This often causes 
women to want to give things 110%, just so that they can prove 
everyone wrong. Even in a school setting, Black men and women 
were being used by their university to basically be the face of the 
diversity on behalf of the school (Bhattacharyya and Berdahl 
2023). These men and women would eventually pull away from 
others because it is just a weird thing to experience overall.  

Intersectionality is one of the things that can dismantle our 
system of capitalism. Without intersectionality we raise the full 
complexity of people's identities and experiences. While 
intersectionality benefits everyone, it is important to know that it 
comes from the experiences and scholarship of Black women. 
Though they all have “intersecting identities,” that does not mean 
that they “all have the same lived experience” (Piatelli 2008:149). 
Every woman experiences something different.  

 
CONCLUSION 

Feminist theory comes from collaboration and building 
off of one another. It is important to recognize all who contribute 
to this conversation no matter their race, ethnicity, or status. 
Crenshaw focuses on civil rights, CRT, Black feminist legal 
theology, race, racism, and the law. Her work has been 
foundational in expanding CRT and examining the topic of 
intersectionality. Crenshaw’s studies, writing, and activism have 
helped to identify key issues that the Black community faces daily. 
She was the one who was able to put a name to the concept when 
no one else could. Intersectionality talks about the double bind that 
happens simultaneously with racial and gender prejudice, causing 
them to overlap and connect. This overview should help people 
gain a more in depth understanding when it comes to racism and 
feminism. 



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Crenshaw’s main idea for all the things she's known for is 
that people don't have to be an expert in intersectionality or CRT, 
but they can be a resource for people. Those who study CRT focus 
on understanding how racism happens every day in American life. 
They want to see social change, compared to liberalism’s more 
cautious approach. When trying to teach something, the goal is not 
to try to press it onto others. The goal is to get others to at least 
understand it. CRT teachings should be taught as an elective so 
people can have the optional choice to take it, and it could even be 
upper division only. Again, it would not be seen as pushing it onto 
people but simply throwing it in as an option. Crenshaw's work 
challenges the way people think and pushes them to want to 
continue learning about these theories. 

 
REFERENCES 

Bhattacharyya, Barnini and Jennifer L. Berdahl. 2023. “Do You See Me? An 
Inductive Examination of Differences between Women of Color’s 
Experiences of and Responses to Invisibility at Work.” American 
Psychological Association 18(7):1073-95. DOI: 
10.1037/apl0001072. 

Crenshaw, Kimberlé . 2015. “Why Intersectionality Can't Wait.” Washington 
Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-
theory/wp/2015/09/24/why-intersectionality-cant-wait/. 

Crenshaw, Kimberlé, Neil Gotanda, Gary Peller, and Kendall Thomas. 1995. 
“Critical Race Theory: The Key Writings That Formed the 
Movement.” New York: The New Press. 

Henry, Caleb. 2023. “Benedict XVI on Education and Solidarity.” Religions 
14(76):1-12. DOI: 10.3390/rel14010076. 

hooks, bell. 2000. Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics. Boston: 
South End Press.  

Ladson-Billings, Gloria. 2021. “Critical Race Theory: What it is Not!” Pp. 
34-47 in Foundations of Critical Race Theory in Education. 
London: Routledge. 

Piatelli, Deborah. 2009. Stories of Inclusion?: Power, Privilege, and 
Difference in a Peace and Justice Network. Lanham, MD: 
Lexington Books.  

Salzman, Dylan. 2022. “The Constitutionality of Orthodoxy: First 
Amendment Implications of Laws Restricting Critical Race Theory 
in Public Schools.” The University of Chicago Law Review 
89(4):1069-112.


	Kimberlé Crenshaw on Intersectionality and Critical Race Theory - Nicole R. Perez



