Intersectional Organizing and Educational Justice Movements: Strategies for Cross-movement Solidarities

• In Event: 3451 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 2. Coalitions and Collaboration

Abstract

Intersectional organizing has become a buzzword for new forms of solidarity in social movements, but has not been clearly defined and developed. In this paper we examine the relatively scant literature on intersectional organizing as a strategy for building solidarity across movements and organizing campaigns. We – a group of activist scholars and scholar activists involved with educational justice movements - first review what we consider a stronger case, that intersectional organizing builds more inclusive movements. We then discuss other approaches to building cross-movement solidarity based upon common interests (usually class-based) or shared values and highlight the distinctive nature of intersectional approaches. We draw upon examples from published literature that show how centering the lived experiences and leadership of people at multiple intersecting forms of oppression creates a different way to connect issues and movements. We show that creating this form of solidarity requires educational and identity work within movements to create and sustain these forms of solidarity. We end with a discussion of the potential for the educational justice movement to serve as a catalyst for building a broader and more intersectional social justice movement.

Authors

• Mark R. Warren, University of Massachusetts Boston

• Jose Zapata Calderon, Pitzer College

• Andrew King, UMass Boston

• Patricio Belloy, University of Massachusetts Boston

• Bianca Ortiz-Wythe, University of Massachusetts Boston

• Pam Martinez, Padres & Jovenes Unidos