b. 1959
Kimberlé Crenshaw (born 1959) is an American legal scholar, critical race theorist, and professor at UCLA School of Law and Columbia Law School. She is best known for coining the concept of intersectionality, which analyzes how overlapping social identities—race, gender, class—compound systemic discrimination. Her work has been foundational in feminist legal theory, critical race theory, and contemporary civil rights advocacy.
Coined and theorized intersectionality as an analytical framework for understanding overlapping systems of discrimination
Co-founded Critical Race Theory as an academic discipline in American legal scholarship
Authored landmark papers including 'Mapping the Margins' (1991) on intersectionality, violence, and identity politics
Co-founded the African American Policy Forum and the #SayHerName campaign highlighting violence against Black women
Advanced feminist philosophy by arguing that gender analysis must account for race and class to avoid privileging dominant-group women