This Quarter’s Theme

Introducing Intersectionality

With Guest PresenterDr. Cori Wong

Assistant Vice-President of Gender Equity atColorado State University

Quarterly Diversity ConversationsOctober 24th, 2019

12:30pm - 1:30pm (Mtn time)

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Lead the industry by empowering financial planners to successfully

serve diverse populations of clients through community,

collaboration, and education.

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● Professional Development○ Hosted, planned, and coordinated many programs at XYPNLive and webinars

● Scholarship○ Launched the XYPN CFP Diversity Scholarship to help 15 test takers committed

to improving our profession● Communication

○ ‘Think Tank Surveys’, Wikis, Social Media, and Blog Posts

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Bring together people who want to participate in these Diversity Conversations so we can make a positive impact on our profession.

Today’s Agenda

● Presentation by Cori Wong● Q&A● Future Initiatives & Ways To Get Involved

Our Quarterly Diversity Conversations

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Introducing IntersectionalityDr. Cori Wong

Learning Intersectionality

“What was puzzling is that usually with ideas that people take seriously, they actually try to master them, or at least try to read the sources that they are citing for the proposition. Often, that doesn’t happen with intersectionality, and there are any number of theories as to why that’s the case, but what many people have heard or know about intersectionality comes more from what people say than what they’ve actually encountered themselves.”

- Kimberlé Crenshaw (The Intersectionality Wars, Vox, May 2019)

Kimberlé Crenshaw

PDF of Article

“Intersectionality was a prism to bring to light dynamics within

discrimination law that weren’t being appreciated by the courts.”

- Crenshaw (The Intersectionality Wars, Vox, May 2019)

From 1989-2018...Link to TED Talk

“White Solipsism” - Adrienne Rich● “to think, imagine, and speak as if

whiteness described the world.”

● “not the consciously held belief that one race is inherently superior to all others, it is a tunnel-vision which simply does not see nonwhite experience or existence as precious or significant, unless in spasmodic, impotent guilt-reflexes, which have little or no long-term continuing momentum or political usefulness.”

- in Elizabeth Spelman, “Gender and Race: The Ampersand Problem in Feminist Thought”

The Error of Single-Axis Frameworks

Distortion: Treating Gender and Race as mutually exclusive

categories of experience and analysis (or sexism and racism as mutually exclusive systems of oppression)

erases particular experiences of Black women, even in efforts to address racist and sexist oppression.

All the Women are White, All the Blacks are Men, But Some of Us are Brave - by Gloria Hill (1982)

“Ain’t I a Woman?” - Sojourner Truth (1851)

What Intersectionality Is:Conceptual tool that intentionally frames experiences of those disadvantaged within multiple systems of oppression to identify, understand, and dismantle those systems.

Intersectionality leads to more inclusive practices by understanding the effects of interlocking, intersecting systems on those who are multiply marginalized.

What Intersectionality is Not:Emphasizing Individual Uniqueness

We each have unique, particular experiences based on our respective social identities (gender, race, class, ability, sexuality, citizenship status, nationality, etc.), and some may be identities with privilege...BUT...

Intersectionality centers experiences of interlocking (intersecting) forms of oppression (i.e., multiply marginalized identities)

What Intersectionality is Not:Additive Burden/

Oppression Olympics

“How one form of oppression is experienced is influenced by and influences how another form is experienced. An additive analysis treats the oppression of a Black woman in a society that is racist as well as sexist as if it were a further burden when, in fact, it is a different burden...to deny the difference is to deny the particular reality of the Black woman’s experience.”

- Elizabeth Spelman, “Gender and Race: The Ampersand Problem in Feminist Thought”

What Intersectionality is Not:“Hierarchy of Victim Status”

Describing intersectionality as a form of identity politics of “victim status” that determines the “value of one’s opinion” is patently wrong.

Who said such things? Not Crenshaw.

What Intersectionality is Not:Call to SEPARATELY dismantle ALL FORMS OF OPPRESSION

While all systems of oppression must be dismantled, it may be overwhelming to consider how we end all forms of oppression at once. This can lead to apathy, complacency, or resignation that it’s not possible.

Intersectionality is about recognizing, prioritizing, and addressing intersections of oppressions.

Through the Prism of Intersectionality“If [efforts to address racism and sexism] instead began with addressing the needs and problems of those who are most disadvantaged and with restructuring and remaking the world where necessary, then others who are singularly disadvantaged would also benefit.

In addition, it seems that placing those who currently are marginalized in the center is the most effective way to resist efforts to compartmentalize experiences [as single-axis issues] and undermine potential collective action.”

- Crenshaw, Demarginalizing the Intersection (emphasis added)

Start with the “Margins of the Margins”To be inclusive, you don’t have to do everything for everyone. However, what you do should be available, accessible, and beneficial to those who are multiply marginalized.

Consider who might be left out if approaching issues of diversity and inclusion separately or in broad terms for the “mainstream marginalized” (i.e., gender initiatives or racial diversification).

Intersectionality (Review)Intersectionality is a conceptual tool that intentionally frames experiences of those disadvantaged within multiple systems of oppression to identify, understand, and dismantle those systems.

Intersectionality leads to more inclusive practices by understanding and addressing the effects of interlocking, intersecting systems on those who are multiply marginalized.

What Intersectionality Demands“...to look beneath the prevailing conceptions of discrimination and to challenge the complacency that accompanies belief in the effectiveness of this framework [where struggles are characterized as singular issues]. By so doing, we may develop language which is critical of the dominant view and which provides some basis for unifying activity.

The goal of this activity should be to facilitate the inclusion of marginalized groups for whom it can be said: ‘When they enter, we all enter.’”

- Crenshaw, Demarginalizing the Intersection

Questions and Discussion

Do you have clarifying questions about intersectionality?

How would efforts of XYPN shift when approached with intersectionality in mind?

● Get Involved○ Diversity Committee Think Tank Email List

■ https://share.hsforms.com/1YTiAqGJhQ9WL2uPbkDb4SQ1crrf

● XYPN Diversity Committee Open Meetings: Thursday, November 21st (1:00 pm mtn)○ https://zoom.us/meeting/register/c66cf8115ddfe95ccde7dc3c8da9331e

● XYPN Diversity Conversation Webinar on January 23rd at 12:30pm (mtn)○ Topic TBD

■ Speaker TBD■ Registration Link TBD

● Diversity Committee Forum○ Webinar is recorded and will be available in Diversity Committee Forum

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Quarterly Diversity ConversationsThank You For Participating!