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Intersectionality Matters!

3. #MeToo and Black Women: From Hip Hop to Hollywood

Intersectionality Matters!

Intersectionality Matters with Kimberlé Crenshaw

News

4.7814 Ratings

🗓️ 10 May 2019

⏱️ 58 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

After hip hop icon Dr. Dre brutally assaulted trailblazing emcee and television personality Dee Barnes in 1991, his career continued to skyrocket while she was effectively blacklisted from the entertainment industry. Nearly three decades later, Dre, who has allegedly assaulted several other women in addition to Dee, continues to enjoy a celebrated career in which his heinous misdeeds have become mere footnotes. The combination of racism and patriarchy is the condition of possibility that allows Beats by Dre to be well-known commodities while beatings by Dre remain largely overlooked. As part of their fifth annual event series, Her Dream Deferred: A Week on the Status of Black Women, the African American Policy Forum, in partnership with the Hammer Museum, convened a panel called “Black Women and #MeToo”. Along with Dee, the panel included such leading lights as actor and Times Up WOC activist Rashida Jones, supermodel and Bill Cosby accuser Beverly Johnson, cultural critic Jamilah Lemieux, historian Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers and #MuteRKelly co-founder Kenyette Tisha Barnes. The panel was moderated by AAPF Executive Director and Intersectionality Matters host Kimberlé Crenshaw. The panel uplifted the unsung genealogy of the Me Too movement by acknowledging forerunners like Tarana Burke, who coined the hashtag #MeToo to raise awareness around the question of Black women’s vulnerability to sexual violence, and Anita Hill, who told the world her story about what a Supreme Court nominee had done to her as a young lawyer. Black feminists like bell hooks and Alice Walker were recognized also for laying bare the realities of gender-based violence that impacts Black women. Tune into this profound and pathbreaking episode of Intersectionality Matters for a thorough post-mortem on the powerful insights shared on the panel, as well as a look into what the movement’s path forward might look like. Hosted by Dee Barnes (@sistadbarnes) and Kimberlé Crenshaw (@sandylocks) Produced and edited by Julia Sharpe Levine Recorded by the Hammer Museum Music by Blue Dot Sessions Featured panelists: Kenyette Barnes, Beverly Johnson, Rashida Jones, Stephanie Jones-Rogers, Jamilah Lemieux More on Her Dream Deferred: aapf.org/her-dream-deferred-initiative Intersectionality Matters: ig: @intersectionalitymatters, twitter: @IMKC_podcast Additional support from G'Ra Asim, Michael Kramer, Kevin Minofu, Naimah Hakim, Madeline Cameron-Wardleworth, UCLA School of Law

Transcript

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0:00.0

I'm Kimberly Crenshaw, and this is intersectionality matters.

0:05.3

The podcast that brings intersectionality to life by exploring the hidden dimensions of today's

0:11.6

most pressing issues, from say her name and Me Too, to the war on civil rights and the global

0:17.9

rise of fascism. This is an idea travelogue.

0:22.4

It lifts up the work of leading activists, artists, and scholars, and helps listeners understand

0:27.9

politics, the law, social movements, and even their own lives in deeper, more nuanced ways.

0:38.7

All right, good evening, everyone.

0:43.1

On March 26th, the African-American Policy Forum organized a panel in partnership with the Hammer Museum, entitled Black Women and the Me Too movement.

0:53.8

This is a long overdue conversation about an issue that doesn't get the attention it deserves,

1:00.0

either in the black community or in the broader community.

1:04.0

And that, frankly, is the sexual vulnerability and victimization of African American women.

1:13.6

The panel was part of AAPF's annual week on the status of black women and girls,

1:18.6

her dream deferred. Every March since 2015, we've devoted the last week of March to

1:24.6

lifting up the particular experiences and the barriers facing black

1:29.2

women. This year's her dream deferred took place in Los Angeles. So with Hollywood as a backdrop,

1:36.3

the experiences of black women in entertainment became a centerpiece of the week. There is a deep

1:42.9

history behind this Me Too movement that is all too often erased

1:47.7

when the movement becomes part of the political mainstream. So one of the things that AAPF has been

1:54.2

committed to is lifting up the voices and the experiences of black women, girls, and femmes,

1:59.9

and also fighting the gentrification

2:02.5

of issues like Me Too.

2:07.5

The panel brought together six incredible women who will hear from throughout this episode.

...

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