Podcast
Intersectionality Matters!
Hosted by African American Policy Forum · EN
Intersectionality Matters! is a podcast hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw, an American civil rights advocate and a leading scholar of critical race theory.
12episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
79. Introducing Backtalker: an American Memoir
May 500:58:12Tap to summarizeHost Kimberlé Crenshaw and celebrated legal professor Cheryl Harris discuss the creative process and anticipated release of Crenshaw's latest book, Backtalker: An American Memoir. Crenshaw’s memoir traces the way her lived experience made her see things others didn’t. It chronicles the earliest moments she starts to talk back, and the journeys that backtalking has taken Crenshaw on throughout her life. Music courtesy of Blue Dot Sessions. Connect with us: Donate to our show Follow the podcast on Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky Order Kimberlé Crenshaw's book, Backtalker: An American Memoir Register for Backtalkers Academy, running throughout Spring/Summer 2026 Check out UCLA Law Review's podcast
Transcribe →
78. Misogynoir, Basketball, and the Art of Accountability
Apr 1100:58:54Tap to summarizeHost Kimberlé Crenshaw is joined by award-winning radio host Dr. Kaye Wise Whitehead and playwright and feminist activist V (formerly Eve Ensler), author of The Apology. Together they discuss the 2026 NCAA Women's Final Four game, where coach Geno Auriemma aggressively confronted Coach Don Staley after she led her team to victory against his. They discuss the mysogynoir of this moment, the insufficient apologies that followed, and what genuine accountability requires. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. Clips in this episode from: ESPN Connect with us: Donate to our show Follow the podcast on Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky Order Kimberlé Crenshaw's book, Backtalker: An American Memoir Register for Backtalkers Academy, running throughout Spring/Summer 2026
Transcribe →
77. Heroes, Harm and History: Chavez's Legacy and Women's History Month
Mar 3100:41:19Tap to summarizeOn Cesar Chavez Day and the close of Women's History Month, host Kimberlé Crenshaw and award-winning radio host Kaye Wise Whitehead unpack a painful reckoning: recent New York Times revelations of sexual abuse by labor icon Cesar Chavez, including allegations from movement co-founder Dolores Huerta, who broke her silence at age 95. Together they explore why survivors delay disclosure, how hero worship in liberation movements hurts women and girls, and the tension between honoring a movement's legacy while confronting its darkest truths. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. Clips in this episode from: PBS News Hour: Investigation uncovers sexual abuse allegations against Cesar Chavez ABC News: Dolores Huerta: Her Words, Her Movement Connect with us: Donate to our show Follow the podcast on Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky Pre-order Backtalker: An American Memoir and find a book tour date near you at www.kimberlécrenshaw.com
Transcribe →
76. The Story of Us 2026, Part 2
Mar 1800:26:06Tap to summarizeThis episode is an act of recovery, uplifting the artistic careers that McCarthyism upended through an immersive blend of conversation and artivism performances. This is part two. Click here for part one. Host Kimberlé Crenshaw is joined by award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay; Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen; and former President of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and film scholar Jacqueline Stewart. Hear powerful artivism performances by two-time Tony Award winning actor Kara Young (Purlie Victorious, Purpose) and Tony-nominated actor Jon Michael Hill (Purpose, Elementary, Detroit 1-8-7, A Man in Full), directed by Professor of Theatre and Africana Studies at Oberlin College Justin Emeka. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. Connect with us: Donate to our show Follow the podcast on Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky Watch an extended cut of this presentation on Youtube Read the Sundance 2026 Director's Cut
Transcribe →
75. Unfinished Business: Racial Justice After Jesse Jackson
Feb 2100:59:01Tap to summarizeThis episode explores the life and legacy of Jesse Jackson—from organizing alongside Martin Luther King Jr. to building the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and reshaping the American electorate through his historic presidential campaigns. Challenging the media’s narrow framing of Jackson's impact in the wake of his passing, the episode uplifts the ways that his strategy, diplomacy, and inclusive vision laid the groundwork for a stronger democracy — exploring nuances that are often overlooked. Host Kimberlé Crenshaw is joined by former DNC Chair Donna Brazile, President and Founder of the Truth and Justice Coalition Barbara Arnine, and Professor of Political Science at Hunter College-CUNY Joseph Lowndes. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. Clips in this episode from: ABC News CNN CBS Seasme Street Democracy Now Amanpour & Company Connect with us: Donate to our show Follow the podcast on Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky Watch an extended cut of this presentation on Youtube
Transcribe →
74. The Story of Us 2026, Part 1
Feb 1200:51:17Tap to summarizeThis episode is an act of recovery, uplifting the artistic careers that McCarthyism upended through an immersive blend of conversation and artivism performances. Host Kimberlé Crenshaw is joined by award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay; Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen; and former President of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and film scholar Jacqueline Stewart. Hear powerful artivism performances by two-time Tony Award winning actor Kara Young (Purlie Victorious, Purpose) and Tony-nominated actor Jon Michael Hill (Purpose, Elementary, Detroit 1-8-7, A Man in Full), directed by Professor of Theatre and Africana Studies at Oberlin College Justin Emeka. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. Connect with us: Donate to our show Follow the podcast on Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky Watch an extended cut of this presentation on Youtube Read the Sundance 2026 Directors' Cut
Transcribe →
73. The Sounds of Us
Dec 1801:04:35Tap to summarizeMusic has long been central to the fight for freedom—the rhythmic heartbeat of the struggle for justice. From Beyoncé to Shaboozey to L’il Nas X and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, Black artists have sparked a much-needed conversation about the rich legacy of Black artistic achievement in multiple genres of American music. This episode celebrates the Black roots of country, blues and folk music by bringing together a dynamic group of artists and scholars to reclaim this often ignored history. Guests: Jake Blount (Musician and Historian), Amythyst Kiah (Banjo Player and Historian), Amanda Ewing (Luthier), Tim Wise ( Writer and Racial Justice Educator), Denitia Odigie (Musician). Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw, produced by the team at the African American Policy Forum Sr. Podcast Producer /Mixer Nicole Edwards Find more on our show and the African American Policy Forum at aapf.org Music by Blue Dot Sessions, Beyoncé, DeFord Bailey. Follow the podcast on Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky Check out our special series on the attack against CRT and DEI called United States of Amnesia: The Real Histories of Critical Race Theory Donate to our show
Transcribe →
ENCORE: 54. #SayHerName - the Art of Bearing Witness on the Page and Stage
Dec 501:05:24Tap to summarizeIt's the 11th anniversary of the #SayHerName Campaign. To commemorate, we're uplifting a favourite #SayHerName episode from our archive. Please join us on Dec 8 in NYC for a staged reading of #SayHerName - The Lives That Should have been, featuring a star-studded cast of performers, a talkback with the mothers of the #SayHerName Mothers Network, and a post-show party with performances by special guests. Get your tickets here. This episode highlights a new milestone for the #SayHerName campaign: a new book, entitled #SayHerName: Black Women’s Stories of Police Violence and Public Silence. Co-authored by podcast host Kimberlé Crenshaw and the team at the African American Policy Forum, this book helps readers better understand Black women's susceptibility to police brutality and state-sanctioned violence. It explains —through Black feminist storytelling and ritual — how we can effectively mobilize various communities and empower them to advocate for racial justice for Black women, girls, and femmes. In this podcast episode, you'll hear incredible performances from actors at each of our #SayHerName book tour stops in Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Baltimore. You'll also hear from members from the #SayHerName Mothers Network, a sisterhood of women who have lost other women, girls and femmes in their family to police violence. You'll also hear from Dr. Kaye Wise Whitehead, Dr. Dorothy Roberts, and Kali Holloway, each of whom served as cohosts at book tour stops in their respective cities. They reflected with Dr. Crenshaw on the power of the tour, the calls to action from the book, and the urgency of the lessons the book contains. Centering Black women’s experiences in police and gender violence discourses sends the powerful message that, in fact, all #BlackLivesMatter, and that the police cannot kill without consequence. Supporting AAPF ensures that this important research and testimony continues to inspire change. To purchase your copy, click here. Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw (@sandylocks), with Dorothy Roberts @DorothyERoberts, Kaye Wise Whitehead @kayewhitehead, and Kali Holloway @kalihollowayftw. Produced by Nicole Edwards and the team at the African American Policy Forum. Mixing by Sean Dunnam Music by Blue Dot Sessions Follow us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.
Transcribe →
72. Why Authoritarians Fear Democracy
Dec 201:36:27Tap to summarizeThis episode features Legal Defense Fund President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson with professors Carol Anderson and Nancy MacLean, in conversation with our host Kimberlé Crenshaw. This riveting and timely conversation shows how anti-Blackness can be weaponized to harm democracy for all through voter suppression, money in politics, and the erosion of democratic safeguards. Clips in this episode from Democracy Forward - How Louisiana v. Callais Could Change Voting Rights and Anti-Discrimination Protections Music by Blue Dot Sessions Follow us on Instagram, Facecbook, and Bluesky) Learn more about the African American Policy Forum at aapf.org. Donate here.
Transcribe →
71. Why Authoritarians Fear Education
Nov 1300:57:26Tap to summarizeHost Kimberlé Crenshaw is joined by authors Jason Stanley and Randi Weingarten to discuss why authoritarians and fascists target education on the path to destabilizing democracy. They unpack how book bans, attacks on teachers, and efforts to erase history from public institutions threaten the democratic project, and what we can do to fight back. Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw, produced by Kevin Minofu, Sr. Producer Nicole Edwards, and the team at AAPF Find more on our show and the African American Policy Forum at aapf.org News clips from Tamron Hall and WJHL, CTV News Music by Blue Dot Sessions Follow the podcast on Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky Check out our special series on the attack against CRT and DEI called United States of Amnesia: The Real Histories of Critical Race Theory
Transcribe →