Join us in celebrating critic &\; autho r Kimberlé\; W. Crenshaw as she discusses her memoir\, Backtalker. M ahoganyBooks\, in partnership with the DC Public Library\, is excited to h ost scholar and writer \;Kimberlé\; W. Crenshaw \;as we cele brate her memoir\, \;Backtalker.
\nIn this stunning memoir\, Kim berlé\; reflects on the journey that influenced her to become the ar ticulate architect of the two biggest American intellectual movements: Cri tical Race Theory and intersectionality. You won't want to miss this! Grab a friend and come on out to this exciting event.
\nFor reas onable accommodations\, please contact the Center for Accessibility at&nbs p\;202-727-2142 \;or DCPLaccess@dc.gov. For ASL or tactile interpretat ion\, please allow at least seven (7) days notice.
\nOne of the mos t influential public intellectuals in the world and the architect of the t wo biggest ideas to reshape the American conversation about fairness offer s the intimate story of how her life gave birth to these ideas.
\nIt is not very often that someone comes along and permanently reshapes the w ay Americans think about two of the most important issues of the day. In t his case: race and gender. But that is what Kimberlé\; Crenshaw did when she articulated two concepts that would forever change national and g lobal debates about equality: intersectionality and critical race theory.< /p>\n
Backtalker \;is the powerful and intimate story of how a littl e girl from Canton\, Ohio\, came up with a new way to look at the world. C renshaw&rsquo\;s memoir traces the way her lived experience made her see t hings others didn&rsquo\;t as the daughter of a strong-minded teacher and a pathbreaking public servant\, and as the sister of a protective\, yet bu llying older brother. She starts to talk back\, and that backtalking has c ontinued throughout her life. It happens when she is denied a role in the kindergarten school play. When she is escorted to the back door of a priva te club. When Anita Hill is exiled for testifying against Clarence Thomas. When OJ Simpson goes on trial. When Obama launches My Brother&rsquo\;s Ke eper\, a movement focused on boys of color only. When the movement against police violence overlooks Black women. Crenshaw is there for all of it.\n
In the vein of Ta-Nehisi Coates and Bryan Stevenson\, Crenshaw evok es each time and place like a gifted novelist with extreme honesty and spe cificity\, making her book a series of awe-inspiring\, deep revelations. A s a result of her work\, Crenshaw has become a force to be reckoned with a cross America&mdash\;at schools\, in the workplace\, at dinner tables\, an d\, of course\, in our public square.
\n\; \;
\nKimberlé\; W. Crenshaw \ ;is a pioneering scholar and writer on civil rights\, Black feminist legal theory\, race\, racism\, and the law. She was a founder and has been a le ader in the intellectual movement called Critical Race Theory and is also known for introducing and developing the concept of intersectionality. She is a Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of California\, Los Angeles\, the Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law at Columbia Law School\, and the cofounder and Executive Director of the African Ameri can Policy Forum. Crenshaw writes regularly for The New Republic\, The Nat ion\, and Ms.\, hosts the podcast Intersectionality Matters!\, and has app eared as a commentator on media outlets including MSNBC and NPR.
\n& nbsp\;
\n
Event guidelines are subject to change
6:30 PM - Doors Open | 7 PM Conversation Begins | 9 PM Event ends