Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The renowned civil rights advocate reflects on the personal experiences that shaped her groundbreaking ideas on race, gender, and equality. For event details and more, visit nypl.org/events/programs/2026/05/13/kimberle-williams-crenshaw
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Blending memoir with cultural and political history, Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw’s new book traces her journey from a childhood in Canton, Ohio, to becoming one of the most influential public intellectuals of our time. Best known for coining the terms “intersectionality” and “critical race theory,” Crenshaw draws on moments from her own life to show how these concepts emerged—from early experiences of exclusion to pivotal national events, such as being escorted to back entrances or witnessing Anita Hill’s exile for testifying against Clarence Thomas. She explores how speaking up—what she calls “backtalking”—became a guiding practice throughout her life.
Crenshaw discusses her new book with scholar Farah Jasmine Griffin.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Kimberlé 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 leader 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 American Policy Forum. Crenshaw writes regularly for The New Republic, The Nation, and Ms., hosts the podcast Intersectionality Matters!, and has appeared as a commentator on media outlets including MSNBC and NPR.
Farah Jasmine Griffin is University Professor at Columbia University, where she also served as the inaugural Chair of the African American and African Diaspora Studies. Professor Griffin received her B.A. in History & Literature from Harvard and her Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale. She is the author or editor of eight books including Who Set You Flowin?: The African American Migration Narrative (Oxford, 1995), If You Can’t Be Free, Be a Mystery: In Search of Billie Holiday (Free Press, 2001), Harlem Nocturne: Women Artists and Progressive Politics During World War II (Basic Books, 2013), and Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature (W.W. Norton, 2021). Griffin collaborated with composer, pianist, Geri Allen and director, actor S. Epatha Merkerson on two theatrical projects, for which she wrote the book: The first, “Geri Allen and Friends Celebrate the Great Jazz Women of the Apollo,” with Lizz Wright, Dianne Reeves, Teri Lyne Carrington and others, and premiered on the main stage of the Apollo Theater in May of 2013. The second, “A Conversation with Mary Lou” featuring vocalist Carmen Lundy, premiered at Harlem Stage in March 2014 and was performed at The John F. Kennedy Center in May of 2016. Griffin has been a Guggenheim Fellow and Mellon Foundation Fellow in Residence.
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The renowned civil rights advocate reflects on the personal experiences that shaped her groundbreaking ideas on race, gender, and equality. For event details and more, visit nypl.org/events/programs/2026/05/13/kimberle-williams-crenshaw
READ THE BOOK
NYPL Catalog: borrow.nypl.org/search/card?id=e6f64f32-38c7-5fef-8c44-27e710de7e01&entityType=FormatGroup
The Library Shop — proceeds benefit The New York Public Library: shop.nypl.org/collections/events-books/products/backtalker
LIVE FROM NYPL
Upcoming Events: nypl.org/live
Sign up for our newsletters: nypl.org/updates
Blending memoir with cultural and political history, Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw’s new book traces her journey from a childhood in Canton, Ohio, to becoming one of the most influential public intellectuals of our time. Best known for coining the terms “intersectionality” and “critical race theory,” Crenshaw draws on moments from her own life to show how these concepts emerged—from early experiences of exclusion to pivotal national events, such as being escorted to back entrances or witnessing Anita Hill’s exile for testifying against Clarence Thomas. She explores how speaking up—what she calls “backtalking”—became a guiding practice throughout her life.
Crenshaw discusses her new book with scholar Farah Jasmine Griffin.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Kimberlé 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 leader 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 American Policy Forum. Crenshaw writes regularly for The New Republic, The Nation, and Ms., hosts the podcast Intersectionality Matters!, and has appeared as a commentator on media outlets including MSNBC and NPR.
Farah Jasmine Griffin is University Professor at Columbia University, where she also served as the inaugural Chair of the African American and African Diaspora Studies. Professor Griffin received her B.A. in History & Literature from Harvard and her Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale. She is the author or editor of eight books including Who Set You Flowin?: The African American Migration Narrative (Oxford, 1995), If You Can’t Be Free, Be a Mystery: In Search of Billie Holiday (Free Press, 2001), Harlem Nocturne: Women Artists and Progressive Politics During World War II (Basic Books, 2013), and Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature (W.W. Norton, 2021). Griffin collaborated with composer, pianist, Geri Allen and director, actor S. Epatha Merkerson on two theatrical projects, for which she wrote the book: The first, “Geri Allen and Friends Celebrate the Great Jazz Women of the Apollo,” with Lizz Wright, Dianne Reeves, Teri Lyne Carrington and others, and premiered on the main stage of the Apollo Theater in May of 2013. The second, “A Conversation with Mary Lou” featuring vocalist Carmen Lundy, premiered at Harlem Stage in March 2014 and was performed at The John F. Kennedy Center in May of 2016. Griffin has been a Guggenheim Fellow and Mellon Foundation Fellow in Residence.
The New York Public Library welcomes your comments and invites you to participate in conversations on NYPL social media platforms.
To make the experience better for all of our social media followers, we ask that you keep your comments relevant to the original post. Off-topic comments may be removed to ensure that the conversation remains productive.
