Does anyone else feel like they only ever hear bad news?
This week, American headlines have been filled, once again, with news of horrific police brutality. I, as a white woman, cannot truly understand the pressures people of color face and the deadly fear folks in this community must feel when in what should be routine situations – like a traffic stop. And, while I acknowledge my limitations, I think it’s still important to address where feminism lies among other social injustices like police brutality, racial injustice, homophobia, human rights abuses, and even climate change. How do you decide which social causes are more important than others?
Truthfully, I don’t think you have to decide. More and more, discourse around social causes is highlighting the concept of intersectionality. First proposed by Kimberlé Crenshaw, intersectionality is when you consider an issue through multiple lenses, understanding that no event happens in a vacuum and factors that contribute to marginalization are often compounding. Take the issue of climate change, for example. On the surface, climate change is a problem because changing our environment could lead to catastrophic outcomes such as mass extinctions, floods, severe weather, and scarcity. But, if we look at climate change through an intersectional lens, we would consider how other social issues, like gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and racial justice, contribute to and are affected by climate change. The intersection of gender equality and climate change, for instance, might demonstrate how environmental changes resulting in food scarcity negatively affect women more than men in societies with gendered hierarchies that dictate that women should be the last to eat.
When we are confronted by systemic racism, we do not need to abandon other social causes. But rather, I think, we should think about how we can leverage different social causes to better support one another. We cannot have gender equality without racial equality for if one of us is oppressed, we all face the consequences of oppression (see the works of Audre Lorde for more complete and eloquent essays on this topic).
Being an intersectional ally (or even simply a person who stands up for what is right) can feel overwhelming. There are a lot of reports of people feeling anxious about what feels like a never-ending cycle of bad news; I feel anxious about all the negative things I see happening in the world myself. And it can be disheartening to feel like you’re always fighting an uphill battle. I find the best thing to do is to keep focused on the small good you can do in your own community, whether that be going to a peaceful protest or sharing an infographic on Instagram.
I say this to my readers as much as to myself: Your voice matters. Even when it feels like it gets lost in among all the noise of bad news, your voice is one of millions demanding a better tomorrow. We don’t need to pick and choose our battles because it is all the same fight. We are feminists, anti-racists, LGBTQ+ allies, climate change activists. The fight for equality is intersectional and there is room for every person, and every cause, within it.
Below, I’ve included several links to different racial justice-related articles, toolkits, calls to action, and resources from the last few years – but there are many more out there.
Racial Equity Toolkits:
Articles on Anti-Racism:
- How to Be Anti-Racist: Anti-Racism Explained
- How to Be An Anti-Racist: Speak Out in Your Own Circles
Anti-Racism Resources/Calls to Action:
- Anti-Racism Resources for All Ages
- Anti-Racist Resources for White People
- 106 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice
- 7 Ways You Can Take Action to Support Racial Justice Right Now
- 10 Actions You Can Take to Promote Racial Justice in the Workplace
Well-Established Organizations (If everything else feels overwhelming, just start here!)
- NAACP: https://naacp.org/
- ACLU Racial Injustice: https://www.aclu.org/issues/racial-justice
- Stop AAPI Hate: https://stopaapihate.org/
- Native American Rights Fund: https://narf.org/
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Girling 
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