Intersectional Future Research Paper

Words: 938
Pages: 4

An Intersectional Future Despite our beliefs about ourselves, we all hold biased thoughts or opinions that are unconsciously shown through our everyday behaviors and actions. I label people. I judge people by their covers. I tend to make friends within my own ethnicity. I cross the street to avoid crossing paths with different people based off of their appearance. Yet, I can’t help but believe that I’m a respectful, fair, and kind person. These unconsciously held biases are one of the precursors of the oppression we witness in everyday life, and one way to limit these biases is to think with an open mind and take an intersectional approach to your analyses. Intersectionality is taking into account multiple social identities such as race, …show more content…
However, she’s always late for school, frequently missing her first-period class, and she rarely submits her homework for any of her classes. Needless to say, her grades are suffering. Nicole’s teachers know barely anything about her life. When they look at her, they see an African-American student who isn’t doing well. They also see a typical example of the deep racial disparities that exist within absenteeism and dropout rates nationwide. But a teacher who took the time to peel back the layers of Nicole’s identity would see another characteristics – her socioeconomic status. Nicole isn’t just a black student; she’s also a girl from a low-income family who bears the responsibility of taking care of her two younger siblings. A teacher who is able to look through an intersectional lens would understand the situation Nicole’s going through. The path to helping an African American student that is missing class is much different from the path to helping an African American, low-income student that is missing class because there are different variables that come into …show more content…
Taking a second to think about the multiple circumstances surrounding a decision will change the way you approach conversations, especially regarding religion and politics. There is no “universal religion” or “correct political view” despite everyone’s own personal opinion and taking an intersectional analysis of someone’s stance on the subject can help you understand their viewpoint even though you may not agree with them. This may also help you understand the Uncle Moe’s that may be in your life, especially those that your aren’t related to and must tolerate in outside life. By Uncle Moe, I’m referring to a person or people who hold biased, stereotypical beliefs and aren’t afraid of sharing them. While it may be second nature to automatically get offended or mad over what they’re sharing, understanding their background (including age, religion, and ethnicity) is important when trying to determine why they have those