***“Backtalking—the act of turning a critical eye to things we are told are unfixable or ‘just the way things are.’”***

— Kimberlé Crenshaw

How does a person dare to challenge structural racism and sexism in American society? That is what Kimberlé Crenshaw did when she articulated two concepts that would forever change national and global debates about equality: intersectionality and critical race theory.

Crenshaw’s new book, Backtalker: An American Memoir, is the story of how a little girl from Canton, Ohio, came up with a new way to look at the world. It traces the way her lived experience made her see things others around her didn’t. As the daughter of a strong-minded teacher and a pathbreaking public servant, and the sister of a protective, yet bullying older brother, Kimberlé starts to talk back, and that backtalking has continued 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 private club. When Anita Hill is exiled for testifying against Clarence Thomas. When OJ Simpson goes on trial. When Obama launches My Brother’s Keeper, a movement focused on boys of color only. When the movement against police violence overlooks Black women.

Today, in that same spirit, we dare to talk back to the normalization of harms to Black people. If we continue to see egregious acts of anti-Blackness as mere distractions, we will miss the crucial way they are fueling the current slide to authoritarianism. Anti-Blackness is not simply a consequence of the actions of the current administration—Anti-Blackness is the Point.

We will not look away as racist and sexist rhetoric demonizes Black people and our communities. We will not stand by as equal opportunity is undermined in colleges and work places. We will not be silent as our federal workforce has been purged of vital programs and tens of thousands of workers. We will not forget the history, texts and cultural artifacts that are being erased from our collective national understanding of race and racism.

We know that the attack on our history and memory will intensify in 2026 as a whitewashed and white-centric version of American history is promoted for America’s 250th. We will document the racist and misogynistic attacks at the center of the current administration’s assault on equal opportunity and civil rights and create the collective understanding that ultimately can move us forward.

TODAY’S PRACTICE

Reflect in your journal: What does being a truth teller require of you right now? What truths are you being called to tell?

Day 4 - Speak Truth to Power

Day 3 - Consider the Cost

Day 5 - Embrace Your Creativity