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Kimberlé Crenshaw

@kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social
929 followers 44 following 29 posts

Co-Founder & ED @aapf.org Host of @imkcpodcast.bsky.social Professor at Columbia Law School & UCLA Law School

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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Pressuring Black Americans out of positions of power, dismantling policies meant to address generations of injustice, and banning the ideas and artifacts that help us understand the connections between bigotry and political power are happening in America right now.
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Intersectionality Matters! with Kimberlé Crenshaw Podcast @imkcpodcast.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
In Episode 82 of Intersectionality Matters!, host @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social is joined by Beverly Guy-Sheftall and Salamishah Tillet to reflect, through a Black feminist lens, on Gloria Steinem’s life, legacy, and impact on the feminist movement. Listen here: pod.link/1441348908/e...
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African American Policy Forum @aapf.org · 31/08/2026
Fresh off her victory and reinstatement at The Washington Post, @karenattiah.bsky.social joins us this Wednesday at 7 p.m. EST! The internationally acclaimed journalist and writer will discuss censorship, the media’s role in shaping national truth, and more. Register here: bit.ly/DemocracyDef...
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African American Policy Forum @aapf.org · 30/08/2026
Join us on Wednesday, September 2nd at 7 PM ET for our Democracy Defenders Reunion as we reconnect after the Legacy, Literacy & Liberation Summit in Montgomery! Register Here ⬇️ bit.ly/DemocracyDefenders_Reunion26 #DemocracyDefenders #AAPF
The Legacy, Literacy, and Liberation Summit brought scholars, organizers, educators, and artists to Montgomery this past July at EJI's Legacy Sites in Montgomery. Join us for a virtual convening to keep that momentum moving. We'll share what emerged from the week, hear how it has traveled into your classrooms, campuses, congregations, and communities, and map the concrete next steps ahead.

This gathering is open to everyone, whether or not you were in Montgomery. If you couldn't make the trip and have been wondering how to plug in, this is your entry point. Come find out what's underway and where your hands are needed.
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/08/24/b... Fantastic victory for a courageous journalist who refused to pander to the far right and its enablement by legacy media. What a timely reminder of the fact that we can't win if we don’t fight back.
nytimes.com
Washington Post Ordered to Rehire Fired Columnist Karen Attiah
An arbitrator ordered the newspaper to reinstate Karen Attiah, who was fired after posting about “white men who espouse hatred and violence” following Charlie Kirk’s killing.
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African American Policy Forum @aapf.org · 04/08/2026
A week ago, AAPF joined @eji.org in Montgomery for our 3rd Annual Democracy Defenders Summit: Legacy, Literacy, and Liberation. We gathered to learn, strategize, and strengthen our shared commitment to protecting our multiracial democracy. Thank you, Bryan Stevenson and EJI, for your partnership.
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Intersectionality Matters! with Kimberlé Crenshaw Podcast @imkcpodcast.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
New episode! 🎙️ Host @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social talks with @jamilahlemieux.bsky.social about publishing their first memoirs, reclaiming “baby mama,” respectability politics, Black families, and what keeps Lemieux backtalking despite the backlash. Listen here: pod.link/1441348908?u...
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Jen McGowan @iamjenmcg.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
From Backtalker by @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social
From page 370 

“And here is another legacy from our past that keeps on going: the readiness of our allies to acquiesce to dog whistle politics. Take for instance the College Board-the $2.5 billion nonprofit organization that runs the Advanced Placement curriculum in the United States. It bowed to pressure from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to excise the terms "intersectionality, "queer theory,"
"structural racism," and a range of other critical concepts from what students were required to learn in its AP African American Studies curriculum. Its
"reason" for removing intersectionality was that the term had been "compro-mised by disingenuous voices," and was thus no longer "effective," having been
"drained of its meaning and filled up with political rhetoric." This stunning ad mission simply affirmed the effectiveness of the heckler's veto and the assumption that most institutions were not ready to fight. Never mind that across the country and around the world, untold numbers of people have found value in intersectionality and have made it one of the most widely circulated terms in the academy and in social justice practice.
Try as they might, defenders of language purges argued that the ideas behind them could still be conveyed. But bending a knee does not work when the opposition runs so much deeper than language. Intersectionality, like structural racism and many other ideas, carries with it the implication that our current social order is not natural and can be transformed. The real fight is over that last part: transformed. For those who believe that transformation is a zero-sum proposition, that greater equity for others means less power for them, any education that equips contemporary students with the tools, the history, and rationale to challenge the social order is forbidden. This is the reality that concessions cannot outrun.”
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African American Policy Forum @aapf.org · 14/07/2026
Join us and @eji.org at this summer’s Legacy, Literacy & Liberation Summit. Connect with advocates and leading scholars as we honor histories of resistance and strengthen the movement for racial justice. 📍 Montgomery, AL 🗓️ July 27–31 🔗 Register here: www.aapf.org/legacysummit...
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
While it is a relief that the 14th Amendment and birthright citizenship is still the law of the land, it is deeply distressing that this was such a close decision.
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African American Policy Forum @aapf.org · 10/06/2026
Yesterday’s baseless hearing on @splcenter.org had one purpose: undermine the civil rights infrastructure that works every day to keep Americans secure and free. Without organizations like SPLC, all of us are less safe. This weaponization will not end with SPLC, and we will not remain silent.
"The Southern Poverty Law Center is under attack because they are standing up against the erosion of our democracy." 

- Rep.Hank Johnson 
At the second House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Southern Poverty Law Center
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
The systematic dismantling of Black Studies in the United States is mirroring a dangerous parallel in the United Kingdom, where the discipline now faces the threat of total erasure. We call upon the university management to reverse course immediately.
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
I want to give a huge thank you to the NY Liberty @wnba.com team for choosing @aapf.org as a partner for this year’s Commissioner’s Cup. I couldn’t make it to game 1 but waking up to my favorite players holding copies of #Backtalker was AMAZING. Congrats on the Game 1 win ❤️
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Thank you for having me! ❤️
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
So much gratitude to the wonderful @krishgm.bsky.social for his thoughtful and probing questions that allowed me to more fully explain what CRT is and why it has been a target in the war on woke and why all stakeholders in our democracy must backtalk.
youtu.be
Kimberlé Crenshaw: We must stand up to authoritarianism
YouTube video by Channel 4 News
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Intersectionality Matters! with Kimberlé Crenshaw Podcast @imkcpodcast.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Excited to share that our host @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social has been named a finalist for Podcaster of the Year at the inaugural HigherEd PodCon Awards. Thank you to the HigherEd PodCon team and congratulations to all of the finalists.
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Day 1 of #BacktalkersAcademy starts TODAY! @aapf.org is hosting a virtual summer school, and there’s still time to join upcoming sessions. Huge thanks to @clintsmithiii.bsky.social for joining today’s homeroom on CRT. Tickets + info: www.aapf.org/backtalkers-...
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Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
"the fight for democracy and the fight for racial justice are inseparable" @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social www.simonandschuster.com/books/Backta...
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Ms. Magazine @msmagazine.com · 14/05/2026
"Sometimes, those very conditions of security, support and love are weaponized to force you into silence and discourage you from speaking your truth." @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social speaks to @mschnall.bsky.social about her new memoir, BACKTALKER:
msmagazine.com
‘They’re Taking Our Humanity Away’: Kimberlé Crenshaw on Her Memoir, America’s Future and Why the Fight for Justice Requires ‘Backtalking’
"I don't go to bed at night feeling bad about MAGA regarding critical race theory, intersectionality or Black people," says feminist Kimberle Crenshaw.
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Town Hall Seattle @townhallseattle.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Coming up on Friday: Pioneering civil rights scholar @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social will be in conversation with Angela Rye! In “Backtalker: An American Memoir,” Crenshaw transports readers to moments that not only shaped her but motivated her to work towards reshaping the world. 🎟️ buff.ly/7OPNvWc
Kimberlé Crenshaw and Angela Rye are pictured with the "Backtalker" book cover. Event details: May 15 at 7:30 PM, presented by Town Hall Seattle.
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Loved this interview ❤️
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11th Hour with Ali Velshi @11thhourmsnow.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
Prof. @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social says that anti-democratic attacks on Black political power following the gutting of the VRA will affect the whole nation, and "we all lose our rights when a particular subgroup is targeted," saying that right now, "our democracy is on its knees." #Velshi
msnbc.com
Prof. Kimberlé Crenshaw: After the gutting of the VRA, 'our democracy is on its knees'
Trump’s Republican Party is carrying out a coordinated assault on Black political and economic power, and the consequences for Black America could last for generations. The question now facing the nation is whether the political will exists to confront those determined to dismantle multiracial democracy.
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Thank you @colincraiggrant.bsky.social and the @nytimes.com for this thoughtful review of #backtalker This book carries so many moments and experiences that shaped how I came to understand the world and my place in it. Read the full article here: www.nytimes.com/2026/05/02/b...
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Zinn Education Project @zinnedproject.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
"We have to be willing to speak against power, to backtalk against all those who tell us it’s impossible, because we know it’s not impossible. It’s happened before. It can happen again." -- @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social via @democracynow.org Watch interview ⬇️ www.democracynow.org/2026/5/6/kim...
democracynow.org
“Backtalker”: Kimberlé Crenshaw on Her Memoir, Voting Rights, Racism & More
Leading scholar in the field of critical race theory Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term “intersectionality,” which she has described as a “lens through which you can see where power comes and collides,...
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Thank you for having me on!
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
I spoke with @theguardian.com about #Backtalker, the moment we’re living through now, and why we can never stop speaking up and speaking out. The backlash to racial justice and inclusion we are experiencing now is a direct result of the power of our ideas. Read the full article below!
theguardian.com
‘I saw the backlash coming’: civil rights activist Kimberlé Crenshaw on America and race
She coined the term ‘intersectionality’ and helped to develop critical race theory, now her life’s work is under attack by Washington’s war on ‘woke’. As her memoir is published, the legal scholar exp...
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Had such an amazing time last night at @phbookstores.bsky.social 💙 Thank you so much for hosting me—it meant a lot. And huge thanks to my sister and fellow backtalker @nhannahjones.bsky.social for joining the conversation. The perfect way to celebrate my book launch 📚✨
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Mary Harris @maryharris.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
I hate that CRT has been so maligned because the work of people like @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social has legitimately made my life better and my thinking freer
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Lizzie O'Leary @lizzieohreally.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
This @maryharris.bsky.social interview with @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social is really phenomenal. slate.com/podcasts/wha...
slate.com
Her Life’s Work Became a Scapegoat. Now What?
Critical race theory would come in handy right about now.
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Coming up on @ms.now Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell at 10:44 PM ET
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African American Policy Forum @aapf.org · 01/05/2026
In the wake of Louisiana v. Callais, ASALH President Dr. Kaye Wise Whitehead, AAPF Executive Director @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social , historian Carol Anderson, and AAPF Senior Fellow Tim Wise break down what this moment means for our democracy. RSVP: bit.ly/UTB_ConfrontingCallais
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
I join so many Americans across the country in outrage over #SCOTUS’s egregious attack on voting rights in #Callais and reject this attempted erasure of Black citizenship. I’m grateful to @perrybaconjr.bsky.social for giving me an opportunity to speak about this moment.
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 made multiracial democracy possible, and it should still fully be law of the land. There is no legal basis to roll back voting rights.
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African American Policy Forum @aapf.org · 21/04/2026
AAPF stands with @splcenter.org. For civil rights. For justice. For democracy.
Statement from Kimberlé Crenshaw, co-founder and executive director of AAPF: 

Civil rights must be fought for, protected and sustained in order for all people to live freely and in democracy. Only authoritarians would try to attack and intimidate organizations committed to justice and civil rights. Today's announcement from the Department of Justice that it has criminally charged the Southern Poverty Law Center is alarming and yet only the latest sign that this administration is weaponizing the DOJ to target its perceived enemies as opposed to maintaining its essential function in upholding the law. AAPF stands with the SPLC and with all those committed to justice. We will not be intimidated.
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
The #Backtalker book tour is officially underway! One of the first stops was this past Thursday at the UCLA Law Review, in conversation with the amazing Prof. Cheryl Harris. Grateful to everyone who came out. Check out my website for more information on upcoming tour dates! kimberlecrenshaw.com
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
They’re finally here! I was so overwhelmed when I got to pick up a copy of my own book and hold it in my hands. This has been an incredible journey, and I can’t wait for you all to join me on it. You can pre-order your copy here : www.simonandschuster.com/books/Backta...
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Intersectionality Matters! with Kimberlé Crenshaw Podcast @imkcpodcast.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Episode 78 is out now! Host @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social is joined by Dr. Kaye Wise Whitehead and V (formerly Eve Ensler) to unpack the 2026 NCAA Women’s Final Four—examining misogynoir, failed apologies, and what real accountability looks like. Listen Here: pod.link/1441348908/e...
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Was so honored to kick off my #Backtalker campaign at the University of Toronto. Grateful for such a thoughtful crowd and for the opportunity to talk about how the personal and political intersect to give us the perspective we need to fight for a better future.
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
To protect a multiracial democracy, we must confront the anti-Black racism that has long shaped citizenship in the U.S. We stand with all who call this country home. Racism and democracy are incompatible.
With today’s Supreme Court oral arguments, we should be clear that the racist idea baked into our Constitution that Black Americans never were and should not be considered as full American citizens—the very fallacy that the 14th Amendment was designed to rectify—is now being weaponized to devalue the citizenship of Americans of all walks of life. This is proof positive that racism and democracy are incompatible, and the only way to truly realize our democratic ideals is to acknowledge, confront and rectify racism head-on. Instead, in this moment when we are sliding into authoritarianism, our elite political and media infrastructure is doing the exact opposite. Civil Rights and the fight for democracy cannot be severed.
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
This past International Women’s Day, I had the incredible honor of receiving the NGO CSW/NY Women of the Year – Co-Chair Award! I wasn’t able to accept the award in person, but the amazing NGO CSW/NY Co-Chair Pamela Morgan kindly delivered it to me herself. For that, I want to say thank you!
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Exciting news! 🎉 My brand-new website is live! Visit to learn more about me and my upcoming book Backtalker: An American Memoir—now available for pre-sale and out May 5! kimberlecrenshaw.com
kimberlecrenshaw.com
Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw
Kimberlé Crenshaw is a pioneering legal scholar, movement leader and fearless advocate who changed the way the world thinks about race and gender.
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Backtalker: An American Memoir publishes six weeks from TODAY! Thank you so much to Bryan Stevenson for his kind words and support of this deeply personal project. You can order your copy here: www.simonandschuster.com/books/Backta...
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African American Policy Forum @aapf.org · 20/03/2026
Breonna should be alive today, and she and her family deserve unequivocal recognition that her killing was egregious, unjust and a violation of civil rights.
Statement on DOJ attempt to drop remaining charges in Breonna Taylor case

“It is appalling that the Trump administration is seeking to drop all remaining federal charges against the police officers responsible for Breonna Taylor’s death. Breonna should be alive today, and she and her family deserve unequivocal recognition that her killing was egregious, unjust and a violation of civil rights. Though the most serious charges in this case already have been dismissed, the government’s desire to make permissible state lies about the circumstances of Breonna’s killing is the latest attempt to erase the power of her life and the galvanizing impact she had on the movement for Black lives. May her memory continue to be a revolution.”
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
COMING SOON: Backtalker: An American Memoir. On sale May 5. Pre-order available now! : www.simonandschuster.com/books/Backta...
simonandschuster.com
Backtalker
One of the most influential public intellectuals in the world and the architect of the two biggest ideas to reshape the American conversation about...
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
Why Trump’s attack on the Smithsonian matters | Kimberlé Crenshaw and Jason Stanley www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Why Trump’s attack on the Smithsonian matters | Kimberlé Crenshaw and Jason Stanley
The president’s assault on US museums, education and memory is a critical dimension of his fascist aims
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Kimberlé Crenshaw @kimberlecrenshaw.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 06/02/2025
i have made a substantive critique of this stance and asked a legitimate question, either address it or ignore it but don’t tell me i’m being “disingenuous” when i notice that the people who insist “DEI” divides the working class don’t seem to have this energy for, say, pervasive job discrimination
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 06/02/2025
this is very funny. yeah the rich love antiracism which is why the reactionary vanguard of capital is currently spearheading an effort to take jim crow national
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