Applying intersectionality

It really starts with the top leadership, making sure that folks know all the way down that intersectionality is a top priority. Cornell Verdeja-Woodson

In this article, we would like to deepen and bring to light the best and most useful actions to put intersectionality into our daily practices and policies. That is to promote opportunity for individuals and communities who face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination. It is not easy to change our perspective, it requires analysis and a shift to a wider point of view, considering issues that we may have not considered before. Of course, the list of practices mentioned below is not exhaustive and will serve as a starting point. Useful tips to have a more intersectional approach:

Recognize that there are multiple, systemic barriers to opportunity and multiple forms of prejudice that block people to realize equal opportunities; it is the first step in adopting an intersectional approach;
Be aware that forms of systemic discrimination intersect with each other and present unique challenges for affected individuals and communities;
Intersectionality requires recognition of the voice of those most directly affected, because they are frequently excluded from mainstream conversations;
Incorporate various voices and perspectives that need to be considered in order to make real, lasting, and equitable change.
An intersectional approach recognizes the importance of family, individuals with intersectional identities may face unique challenges in how their families are perceived and in building and sustaining their families;
Highlight the importance of disaggregated data ensures that the experiences of communities with intersectional identities are not missing and that their unique experiences are recorded;
Consider that seemingly unrelated areas and topics are connected and intersect, for example social justice issues are connected to public health issues that are connected with poverty, and so on;
Encourage cross-community, cross-sector and cross-issue collaborations, investing equally in each other’s issues, narrative goals and policy agendas;
Acknowledge how systemic inequality affects the health of communities that face intersectional forms of discrimination;
Community is important to ensure that all members of the community are respected and enjoy access to equal opportunities;
Be proactive in initiating conversations with individuals and human rights organisations that work on these issues to learn more about their work, lives and opinions in a non-intrusive but open way;

In addition, institutions and organisations should have an intersectional approach within their policies and practices. For example:

Diversity should be a recruitment priority for the entire organisation, including the board of directors, so institutions should build intersectionality starting from the recruitment process;
Organisations structure should encourage discussions about critical issues and develop an internal culture that invites feedback;
Organisations should be aware of the policies of their partners and make sure they respect and encourage diversity;
Ensure internal wellbeing. Happier people are more likely to care about the problems of the world and to take action to alleviate suffering;
Empathy is a key factor. Leaders should consider every experience and perspectives;
Ongoing education to build awareness amongst the work place;
Developing internal inclusive policies to create an intersectional workplace, also integrating intersectionality in their values and missions;
Creation of safe spaces for everybody, avoiding situations where some individuals might feel unwelcome;

Intersectionality should be applied at every level and in every field, for example, an intersectional approach in public health is critical for research to find health disparities and the underlying structures that create and maintain disparities. Intersectionality is a lens through which making individual experiences visible. Understanding the patterns of power, privilege, and the social structures and policies that contribute to inequality and a lack of health equity is crucial. At the moment, the health field needs a framework for understanding and applying intersectional theory effectively in public health teaching.

Understanding the causes and consequences of current health issues needs a change in perspective. A lot of diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts have been present in many workplaces for decades, but applying intersectionality to these efforts is still a relatively recent initiative. Those D&I activities fail to look at the ways people are affected by multiple forms of discrimination and inequity. For instance, diversity initiatives that focus on “all women” often do not consider non-white women, disabled women, etc. and, as a result, fail to account for the multidimensional impact of race, gender and ableism on hiring practices, promotions and more. The illustration below provide a useful graphic explanation of the example in the previous sentence. In practice, we need to reflect on the following questions:

Who has been left out in our work until now?
What identities have not been taken into account in our projects, events and campaigns?
How could us include them?

Working intersectionally means working in solidarity with other human rights organisations in order to show that each human rights violation affects all individuals and society. Showing solidarity not only helps different struggles but also sends a positive message towards your own community.

Organizations seem to understand the value of intersectionality, but to go from intent to action, is always very challenging. Organisations need to make some changes to traditional ways of working and existing D&I initiatives. Building an intersectional workplace will require ongoing effort and commitment from organizations, but if done well, there is significant potential to create an environment where individuals of all identities can thrive and truly bring their whole selves to work. It’s also important to talk about intersectionality in education, where an intersectional approach would develop sensibilities among students to understand global structures of oppression and domination on the basis of analytical categories like race, gender, and class. Knowledge and understanding about historical, economical, and political structures are essential for an intersectional approach.