Intersectionality by Celine Leduc
METHODDOLOGY
Intersectionality a word first used by Dr. Kimberlé
Crenshaw that describes the plight of women of African descent who get killed
by the police and whose names we do not know.
Dr. Crenshaw made me think that African descent women are not alone the
same principle can be applied to any woman that is NOT of European descent OR
mentality. Euro-Canadians and
Euro-Americans like their European counterpart do not use the principle of
intersectionality correctly, and we DO NOT speak of women of African descent and
other woman as strong leader, heroes and role models to counter
stereotypes. We also silence their
voices and refuse to talk about the two or three sides of the same problem,
history is often five sided.
Radical pluralism (Dr. Amina Wadud) which challenges
Muslims on the inclusion of women imams and the LGBT community. I use her methodology
to include women from all ethnicity, religion and sexuality
“Ourstory” (Professor Bayyinah Bello) and my
prism or focus which is “I and the Other”.
“I” is me and my relationship with myself, my family, my society and
other.
“I and the Other” my relationship with others starting
from me and knowing who I am and my culture.
Five-sided history: my version the other’s version my heroes
their heroes and our new version that is inclusive and honest.
In this short article or overview, I will address racism and
reverse racism, derogatory language we use, and look at my relationship with
others.
Each community has suffered exclusion and has been maligned
in a different manner yet in similar method is used and is based on a premise
that is a conclusion and not a question which causes a faulty theory.
SILENCE AND EUROCENTRICITY
My culture which is Euro-Americans which includes Americans
(US) Canadians as England, France played a major role in colonization and the
romanization of the Americas by Christian Eurocentric male leaders who wanted t
make the American continent male and male only leadership. Males attitudes towards the other ethnic
groups: African, Arabs, Asians, First
Nation descent women/men. Religion or
religious supremacy Christianity that negates Judaism and Islam hence excludes diversity
in spirituality. Language used to
describe “the other”. Perception of “the
Other” his/her contribution negated through silence. Non-inclusive
history epic stories and the silencing of all descent by not recoding the voice
of women and all other ethnic groups. In
other words if it is NOT written it does not exist.
What is romanization of Europe and Euro-Americans it
includes: religion (Christianity and conversion), language English or French
most words are from the Latin, laws based on Roman laws that govern women and
all others that are not males. Those
values and ideologies were imported in the New World and Africa.
The word “Intersectionality” and the movement “Black Lives
Matter (BLM)” have something in common they were appropriated by Euro-Americans
which includes Canadians scholars. Intersectionality in Euro-American ways
focus solely on the intersectionality of White women as being central. In the
BLM which is an Afro-American reality that
highlights Police Violence like Intersectionality people
of African descent have been criticized and accused of being racist or using
reverse racism. In the BLM movement,
Euro-Americans say all life matters except that of Afro-Americans. This is “Old
Husband Tales” or fake news or urban legends therefore, nothing changes except
for terminology that is being appropriated and hijacked.
Old Husband tales or how a minority became the moral compass of
the world. One expressions that is
repeated mindlessly by the dominant society (men-women). It starts with Visible minority and yet it is
not honest as we only see White people which is the true visible minority as
the European or Caucasian race is a minority in the world; by looking at it
from this prism a new reality will emerge hopefully.
Intersectionality is about a Black women’s place in society
she is inferior to all in Eurocentric society.
White feminist see her as a victim of abuse they perceive her as being
violated and violent. She is of inferior
intellect as she is often the family leader, the sole earner in a single-family
home. She is living on government aid be it in the US or Canada, her wages are
lesser than others and she has problems getting a good job even with a degree
or two. Hence her kids are considered
uncivilized or even uncivil. Once again Old Husband Tales and FAKE news.
Because, no one has taken in consideration racism and slavery.
Euro-Americans take slavery as something that happened in the
past no one looks at the effect on people now. They also never look at the consequences
of war and their bragging. Lower paying
jobs, being exclude from some jobs even if qualified or eve overly qualified
such as women who had two degrees (Master’s) to work as a filing clerk with n
chances of getting a promotion.
Racism and reverse racism a sneaky way Eurocentric males us
to avoid taking responsibility for racism by pointing an accusing fingers
towards the other and avoiding to look at himself as males are the ones who
classified people by ski tone making white the ultimate and superior race. Also,
pushing eugenics as it proves their superiority and allows them to conduct
inhumane research: look at residential schools in Canada, Concentration camps
in Nazi Germany, conducting medical experiments on people of African descent
including infecting them with gonorrhea without asking or sterilizing African
women or testing new drugs all done without their consent including testing African
men or women jailed with HIV/AID.
FOREIGN CREDENTIALS AND
JOBS IN CANADA AND THE USA
Medical doctors with a medical degree from The France
or England which is recognized internationally and that person worked at the UN
to set up clinics all over the African continent. She or He cannot work in Quebec because they
do not have a degree from Canada or Quebec.
Because of immigration doctors who are knowledgeable about some tropical
diseases are needed. This puts the life
of patients at risk of misdiagnosis: Sickle Celle anemia or malaria or other
unknown illnesses. Even if they do the
classes required they might not be accepted in the Doctor’s association because
they have no experience in Quebec. They end up sweeping floors in a hospital,
working as caregiver or working in telemarketing to make ends meet.
Accountants women and men who worked at the World
Bank cannot find a job in accounting for the same reason.
Architects, engineers cannot be recognized in
the professional associations because, they do not recognize foreign
degree.
EURO-WOMEN FOLLOW IN
MEN’S FOOTSTEPS
Few if any Euro-Feminist have looked at their attitude
towards women of African descent or other women. Few or no one has dared challenge Old Husband
Tales. It seems that woman of European
descent fear men and on the other hand want to recreate the same world order
but feminize it and that is a danger.
Feminizing the world order means that the leaders will be women however
the principles the core values will remain as is, as they DO NOT rock the boat,
in other words nothing will change. The rationale behind this unspoken reality
is: it worked for men it will work for us, men have lead as patriarchs gave us
patriarchy now welcome the matriarch era and matriarchy. The status quo remains
and the same hierarchy remains intact as romanization of the world continues
unchanged and unchallenged. Some of the
challenges is romanticizing the past as being glorious based on the false
premise of winning a war.
THE SOLUTION AND CONCLUSION
By using intersectionality as Dr. Crenshaw uses it, adding
the idea of radical pluralism of Dr. Amina Wadud, add to this Professor
Bayyinah Bello idea of Ourstory and using these teaching to my interest which
is I and the other my relationship to the other based on knowing myself, my
society my culture vis-à-vis women of various backgrounds. Our story has a
beginning and mine starts with Cleopatra VII and two perceptions that are
opposite the stories from the West or North makes her into a slut, a coward and
loser plus she is whitewashed as she is White. The Egyptian perspective makes
her a Black woman, that was a great business woman, who defended her land and
who was courageous and she was killed or murdered twice: First physically by
the goons of Augustus and the secondly by his historians Plutarch and Cicero and
their biased view became the blueprint for Euro-historians, the story of the
military victorious.
Ancient Romans used rhetoric instead of philosophy as they
sold their lies for over two-thousand years.
Their objective was to make the world UNIVERSALLY ROMAN. One god man,
one language Latin which became the language of god and history which is his
epic story. It was Julius men who burned
the Library of Alexandria that included everyone and their lineage and history
as identity mattered as did lineage, ethnicity religions and language which was
the Greek way. History is his story and
the epic story of women who emulated Him it is NOT “ourstory” it is His story
will now be feminized to become “Herstory” of glory or epic story and not
“Ourstory”. Greeks offered at least five
version of facts so people could be properly informed.
