John Albert L.

Florendo Short Paper on Political Intersectionality

N1 February 20, 2023

Short Paper on Political Intersectionality

“Some problems we share as women, some we do not. You fear your children will grow
up to join the patriarchy and testify against you; we fear our children will be dragged from a car
and shot down in the street, and you will turn your backs on the reasons they are dying.”
― Audre Lorde1
As the world continues to progress, and a lot of people are now being educated with
regards to the various sociopolitical issues that are plaguing the society, it is important to take
note that in the past, and even in various sections of the society at present, Many people,
particularly women of color, are still being discriminated either in schools, workplaces, and even
in the streets.
Several feminists as well as antiracist groups have tried to solve this issue, but still, it
cannot be denied that the system still largely favors either that of the privileged white woman, or
even the black men. This raises the question, why are black women still largely being denied the
opportunity to be seen, as well as to let their voices be heard, in the midst of all the injustices that
they have endured for so many years now?2
This is the reason why the concept of Political Intersectionality matters, since without it,
people wouldn’t have the chance to know the unique experiences of various people, and how it
gradually shapes their identities. Furthermore, it further sheds light on the fact that oppression
comes in different forms, and that reducing it to only one part of an identity cannot be considered
valid.3
In saying this, the reason why intersectional literacy on issues of mass incarceration is
necessary, is due to the fact that it further sheds light on matters regarding societal power

1
Sherrod, Barbara A. “‘Some Problems We Share as Women, Some We Do Not.” Medium. Medium,
August20,2019.https://medium.com/@DaBarbBelow/some-problems-we-share-as-women-some-we-do-n
ot-67ad71f523cf.
2
Ibid.
3
Google search. Google. Accessed April 20, 2023.
https://www.google.com/search?q=why%2Bis%2Bintersectionality%2Bimportant&oq=why%2Bis%2Binter
sectionality%2Bimportant&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i512l9.6145j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8.
dynamics, and how it can lead to various forms of injustices in the society, that are almost always
being targeted towards women of color. This is indeed a problem, since countless women are still
being unlawfully blamed, and being subjected to mass incarceration. Regardless of whether or
not they committed crimes in the first place, their race as well as their sex, seems to be the only
measures that some law enforcers rely on, in order to determine if they should truly be
incarcerated, which is very problematic indeed. Given the fact that the incarceration of White
women is much lower than their Black counterparts.
In terms of intersectional perspectives, they are usually undermined in the huge discourse
of mass incarceration. Meaning, it is not usually prioritized, thus rendering the intersectional
issues of gender, race, and how it relates to mass incarceration, relatively pointless, which should
not be the mindset of those who truly care about the problem, and are determined to stop the
injustices that women of color are facing, since if these types of intersectional issues continue to
prevail, then it only renders resistance relatively obsolete, and it further heightens the problem of
the affected groups, that want their voices to be heard, but are continually being overshadowed
by the patriarchy, as well as the dominant powers that exist within the societal framework.
Furthermore, Crenshaw also wants to establish a space of conversation for these women,
in order for their narratives to be heard, so as to further educate a lot of people with regards to
the issue, an example of this is the “Skip-Gate” interaction wherein Henry Gates who is a Black
professor, was unlawfully arrested by a law enforcer while trying to get into his house. This goes
to show how severe the racial profiling as well as the social control is in the United States. Of
course, although this is an issue that happens to almost all Black people, it cannot be denied that
it creates the impression that only Black men are being policed for their actions and not Black
women, or women of color in general. This creates a problem since it disregards the fact that
even Black Women are being arrested, and are victims of social surveillance. By not opening the
discourse regarding the constant policing of Women of color, there is a chance that this issue
would only continue to persist, and a lot of Women of color are still going to be subjected to
mass incarceration, regardless of whether or not they’re innocent.
In addition, there is a significant lack of awareness in the intersectional framework that
Crenshaw wants to address. Despite the fact that some people are well aware of the struggles that
people of color are facing, it seems to be that it is always the men that are always considered as
the victims and not women, this is the reason why despite how strong the arguments are in the
intersectional framework, it is also important to acknowledge the fact that all of the past political
failures are still responsible for the constant reproduction of marginalities. These marginalities
are also present in the statistics, wherein 70 percent of young women are being held in detention
centers from California
To add to this discussion, it should also be noted that the patriarchy plays a large role in
this situation, since not only are the majority of police officials and people in power male, but a
lot of them, due to their deep-seated prejudices, would opt to arrest women of color, instead of
White women due to the racial biases that they all subscribe to. This creates a huge problem
indeed since, not only are these people being defined by their gender, but also their race, which
only further contributes to their marginalization. So it is indeed important that women of color
should be given the opportunity to let their voices be heard, in order to promote not just
understanding, but also for people to not just easily undermine their issues and for concrete
solutions regarding mass incarceration to be developed.