Under the Blacklight: The Intersectional Vulnerabilities that the Twin Pandemics Lay Bare

Coronavirus did not create the stark social, financial, and political inequalities that define life for so many people, but it has made them more strikingly visible than any moment in recent history. This brilliant collection of the most important insights from the Under The Blacklight livestream event series and Intersectionality Matters podcast, hosted by Kimberle Crenshaw and the African American Policy Forum, examines the intersectional dimensions of capitalism, patriarchy, racism, and nationalism have converged in the pandemic and its aftermath. Together, these essential thinkers navigate the historical contours of the pandemic, and the pre-existing inequalities that shape its impact. They also examine the historic moment of social and political mobilization that the police murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd sparked, and unpack the central role that ideological whiteness continues to play in the US response to both Covid-19 and police violence. These scholars shine a light on the stories and counter-stories that help us understand the past, illuminate the present, and shape the future. The book features contributions from Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Ibram X. Kendi, Arundhati Roy, Kiese Laymon, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Carol Anderson, Naomi Klein, V, formerly Eve Ensler, Eddie Glaude Jr., Ai-jen Poo, Dorothy Roberts, Alicia Garza, Keith Ellison, Marc Lamont Hill, Bree Newsome, David Blight, Robin D.G. Kelley, Josie Duffy Rice, Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Laura Flanders, Kate Manne, Kehinde Andrews, Barbara Arnwine, Paul Butler, Mab Segrest, Dallas Goldtooth, Rinku Sen, Dara Baldwin, Janine Jackson, Saru Jayaraman, and Devon Carbado, among others. See more