Intersectionality Matters! 70. How Anti-Blackness Destroys Democracy
Oct 15, 2025
Melanie Campbell, a civic organizer and head of the Black Women's Roundtable, joins Evelynn Hammonds, a historian and former Harvard dean, Lisa Coleman, a DEI expert and Adler University president, and Kaye Wise Whitehead, radio host and public commentator. They dive into how anti-Blackness acts as a foundation for authoritarianism, erasing Black history and jeopardizing health disparities research. The conversation highlights the need for mutual aid and the vital role of Black women's political labor as we approach the 2024 elections.
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Anti-Blackness As A Political Engine
- Anti-Blackness is foundational to the current slide toward authoritarianism and must be named to understand threats to democracy.
- Kimberlé Crenshaw argues that attacks on Black knowledge and leadership fuel a broader project to dismantle institutions and consent.
Teaching History As A Survival Tool
- Kaye Wise Whitehead recounts Carter G. Woodson's founding of Negro History Week to arm Black children with history as survival weapons.
- She emphasizes defending historic Black sites and turning everyday spaces into freedom schools.
Narrative Power Builds Pariah Classes
- Creating a pariah class requires sustained narrative work that secures public consent for harsh treatment.
- Kaye Wise Whitehead and Toni Morrison's ideas show erasing Black excellence normalizes broader repression.
