The Ins and Outs of Intersectionality

  In the Bell Hooks excerpt that we read, she mentioned something that was said at a family dinner. “'There are as many definitions of Feminism as there are feminists,’ some of my sisters say, with a chuckle. I don’t think it’s funny.” Although certainly not funny, I would not hesitate to agree with that statement. The concept of feminism is often debated and interpreted in so many different ways, some of which can negatively affect the movement as a whole. Something that Eddie mentioned which caught my attention was the idea of intersectionality, and how race and gender play different yet interconnected roles in discrimination. Although men have privilege gender-wise, black males face the prejudice of being perceived as violent, or overly sexual, which people often exemplify by using the societal stereotype of the “weak white woman.” 

Last year, I watched the Netflix documentary “When They See Us,” which sparked my interest for the Central Park jogger case. The story focuses on the assault of a young white woman named Trisha Meili in New York’s Central Park. The tragic story of her attack went viral and was spread around the country. News articles were published and public figures were speaking out about the case. Americans were outraged by the brutal attack. The anger only grew when a group of five Black and Latino boys were brought in and questioned by law enforcement in connection to the crime. The media latched on to the case as a symbol for growing rates of violence and lack of police officers doing their job. An article was published in the New York Times by Donald Trump, titled Bring Back the Death Penalty. Bring Back our Police! highlighting the rising crime rates in New York, criticizing law enforcement, and insisting the death penalty be used against the young men he describes as “muggers and murderers.” This article was also where the term “wildin’” was initially coined; which was a term that further perpetuates the stereotype of violence and barbarism within black men, and was widely used to describe the 5 young boys behavior the night of Meili’s attack. During the questioning process, the boys were also denied the right to privacy, which led to violent attacks towards them and their families. Despite media uproar, these boys were not the attackers the public was looking for, and had nothing to do with the crime. They were stereotyped and profiled because of their gender and race, and unfortunately were in the wrong place at the wrong time.