My intersectional identities 1

An examination of my intersectional identities

Nia Harris
Northern Illinois University
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my Intersectional Identities
I am a Black Feminist. I mean I recognize that my power as well as my primary

oppressions come as a result of my blackness as well as my womaness, and therefore my

struggles on both of these fronts are inseparable (Lorde, 1986).

Each individual has a number of identities. An individual can identify as a parent, child,

and a member of a particular religious congregation. Each person may also identify as belonging

to a particular ethnic group and be characterized by other identity factors, such as gender, race,

and sexual preference. This paper will examine my salient identities, race, gender, economic

status, and the impact of privilege and oppression on my salient identity formation. A Salient

identity is a concept that makes sense of how a person responds to different situations,

considering their multiple identities. An individual’s salient identity is the identity that comes

into play depending on a given situation. A person’s salient identity can also change depending

on the circumstances they encounter. For each person, the identity that comes into play in a

specific situation is contingent on factors such as an individual’s level of dedication to a

particular aspect of their identity. There are three conditions under which the possibility of

identity salience may arise. The circumstances where people are connected with members of

their groups they identified, and who are neutral to their current environment (African American

students who attend mainly white colleges but raised with a keen awareness of their cultural

identity). For those whom there is an inconsistency between self-perceived social identity and

their background ( people of minority status in a group will often reinforce their identities that

are more salient than the majority identity of the group); and individuals who experience

disparity between their past background and current setting (Jones and Abes, 2013).

Based on the concept of multiple identity dimensions, the aspects of my identity that are

most salient currently are race, gender, and economic status. In 1998, Peggy McIntosh
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distinctively described the complexities inherent in social identities by specifying an “invisible

knapsack of unearned assets,” a series of privileges unconsciously accepted mostly by white

heterosexual men in higher education. McIntosh’s list offers a series of unearned racial

advantages that instill a conferred dominance among white students. For instance, the unearned

freedoms of belonging and safety can bring about sentiments amongst white students that

bigotry, racism, and prejudice do not exist their educational environments, or that racism does

not have an impact on their white identity. This oblivious imbalance of privilege perpetuates

what McIntosh refers to as “conferred dominance” (McIntosh, 1998: Jones & Abes, 2013).

The notion of conferred dominance is exemplified through an experience I recently had

during a group project. During the initial discussion of possible concepts, I challenged the idea

that a classmate presented and my actions were interpreted as hostile and dismissive. The

offended group member then communicated to several authority figures within our graduate

program that I created an environment that made them feel unsafe and uncomfortable in the

classroom. Therefore, their educational experience had been impacted by me. This experience

highlights how my gender and race are interconnected because as an African-American woman I

am constantly analyzing my behavior, motives, and expectations. My gender and race are not the

sole factors that impact how others view me; they affect how I dress, walk, speak, and the spaces

that I perceive as safe or dangerous. Due to my race and gender I have inherited the burden of

delicately navigating public spaces that often feel like minefields. The situation involving my

classmate whose idea I challenge is yet another reminder that when reacting to situations it is

best that I am not too passionate for fear that I will be perceived as an angry black woman. My

motive for challenging my groupmate’s contribution to the project was to ensure that the end

product would be of high quality. This desire stems from the fact that in my professional or
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academic work, I must always remember the burden of being twice as good as my white

counterparts. The notion of being twice as good is a responsibility placed on most African-

American children at an early age. We are raised to believe that in order to succeed we have to

be twice as good to earn half of what our white counterparts accomplish. Therefore, I found

myself in a situation where I was trying to uphold my racial responsibility of being twice as good

while trying not to personify the angry black woman. However, I made the mistake of appearing

too serious and breaking a cardinal rule of not becoming a source of intimidation to white

women. My race and gender are significant components of my core identity because external

influences have caused these aspects of my identity to be central to who I am as an individual.

I have experience different forms of oppression due to my race and gender however my

social class has afforded me many privileges. Privileges that are related to a person’s age,

religion, ability, and social class can also create occasions of bestowed power (Goodman, 2010).

Frequently deemed the “flip side of privilege,” oppression is a conscious act against a specific

social identity. Oppression had been defined as “attitudes, behaviors, and inescapable and

systemic social procedures that allow members of one group to be exploited and subordinated

while members of another group are granted privileges (Jones & Abes, 2013). Due to my social

class, I understand what it means to identify as a member of the working class as well as upper-

class in American society. As a foster child I lived in poverty but having been adopted into an

upper-middle-class family has afforded me the experiences and privileges of being economically

secure. Currently, money is not an issue when I am making most decisions.

I can purchase most of what I want without really considering the price tag. Other people

get paid to do things that I may not have the time or interest in doing for myself. When I walk

into my home during most breaks from school, my favorite meal is cooked before I arrived. I
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my Intersectional Identities
have to admit that it has been a while since I last thought about the economic situation of the

individuals who prepare and clean for my family on a daily basis. When at home my laundry is

done and placed in my closet and I barely ever consider whether doing my laundry was an

inconvenience to anyone. I am often saddened by the privileges my economic status has afforded

me in today’s society. I now realized that Peggy McIntosh was right when she stated, “power

from a unearned place can look like strength when it is, in fact, permission to escape or

dominate.” My economic status is an example of one of the three conditions for salience

highlighted by Ethier and Deaux. The perception of myself as an individual of high economic

status and my background as a foster child creates an inconsistency in my current experience of

my social class.

The intricate structures of privilege and oppression can have an intense influence on an

individual’s view of self and can impact the identity development process completely. Stryker’s

notion of identity salience refers to the prospect that an aspect of an individual’s identity that will

be embraced across a variety of roles and situations. I agree with Stryker and Burke because my

racial identity is pronounced through the parts that I play in life as well as the different situations

I find myself. I have yet to figure out if I have an option in embracing these identities across

different roles and situations. According to Stryker and Burke (2000) “the more advanced the

salience of identity relative to other identities” that are mearge into an sense of self, the “greater

the probability of a person making behavioral choices” that fit the expectations that are attached

to that identity. This notion is seen through my acceptance of the responsibility of being twice as

good as my white counterparts; as well as my constant attempts at monitoring my behavior and

the possible interpretation of said behavior in various spaces. Like Lorde, I have come to realize

through my experience as a black woman the necessity for visibility and voice. Viewing
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differences as a tool for separation and powerlessness, I understand that the significant function

of how I express my core identity (my blackness) will not only free me of the burden of the

racial occurrences I encounter but also share my experiences so that others might learn.

Experiencing the fullness of who I am is the reason why I must willingly allow all aspects of

being to travel back and forth through my different identities.

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References

Abes, E.S., & Jones, S.R. (2004). Meaning-making capacity and the dynamics of lesbian college

students ‘multiple dimensionsof identity. Journal of College Student Development, 45,

612-632.

Audre Lorde Quotes (author Of Sister Outsider) - Goodreads. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/18486.Audre_Lorde theory. Social

psychology quarterly, 284-297.

Chickering, A. W., & Reisser, L. (1993). Education and identity. Jossey Bass.

Goodman, D, J. (2011). Promoting the Diversity and Social Justice, Educating people from Privileged

groups.

McIntosh, P. (1988). WHITE PRIVILEGE AND MALE PRIVILEGE: A Personal Account of

Coming to See Correspondences Through Work in Women's Studies (1988). Wellesley

College, Wellesley Massachusetts.

Stryker, S., & Burke, P. J. (200) The past, present, and future of identity.
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Race
CORE

Gender
Social Class