We Are Not Broken

Introduction:
The concept of intersectionality, coined by legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, provides a crucial lens through which to understand the complexities of vulnerability. It highlights how various aspects of a person’s identity – such as race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, disability, and more – do not exist in isolation but rather intersect to create unique experiences of disadvantage and marginalization. These overlapping factors can significantly compound the risks faced by families, making them more susceptible to various forms of hardship, including domestic violence, and creating intricate barriers to accessing safety and support.

Intersecting Factors and Compounded Risk:
Consider a low-income single mother of color with a disability. Each of these factors individually can present challenges. However, their intersection creates a unique set of vulnerabilities. She may face racial bias in employment, limiting her economic stability (socioeconomic status and race). Her disability might restrict her job options further and impact her ability to physically leave an abusive situation or access non-accessible shelters (disability). As a single parent, she carries the sole responsibility for her children, potentially making her hesitant to leave for fear of instability or losing custody (parenthood). These intersecting factors don’t simply add up; they interact in ways that create exponentially more complex barriers to safety and well-being.

Systemic Disadvantages and Lack of Equitable Resources:
These intersections often lead to systemic disadvantages. Communities of color, for example, have historically faced discriminatory housing policies, leading to concentrated poverty and limited access to resources like quality education and healthcare. As Dorothy Roberts, a renowned scholar on race, gender, and the law, states:
“The problem is not simply prejudice or individual acts of discrimination, but a system of inequality that is embedded in our institutions and structures.”

This systemic inequality means that when a crisis like domestic violence occurs, marginalized families often have fewer safety nets and face greater obstacles in accessing help that is culturally competent and addresses their specific needs. For instance, a shelter that doesn’t offer language services or disability accommodations will be inaccessible to many.

Setting the Stage:
The subsequent articles in this series will delve deeper into specific intersections, such as the heightened risks faced by indigenous communities, the unique challenges for families with neurodivergent children, and the devastating impact of a punitive child welfare system on survivors of domestic violence. Understanding the foundational concept of intersectionality is crucial to grasping the multifaceted barriers that prevent vulnerable families from finding safety, support, and justice. As bell hooks, a celebrated author and activist, reminds us:
“There can be no real social change without a radical recognition of the interconnectedness of all human struggles.”

By recognizing these interconnected struggles, we can begin to dismantle the systemic barriers and build more equitable and supportive systems for all families.

References:
Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1), 139–167.
Roberts, D. (1997). Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty. Pantheon Books. hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom. Routledge.