What should I care about intersectionality?

🎙️ Why Should I Care About Intersectionality?

What does it mean to truly understand identity in all its complexity? In this first episode of King & Qween, hosts Evolve Benton and Jefferson Darrell unpack the foundational concept of intersectionality—how overlapping identities shape our experiences of privilege, oppression, and access. Together, they explore the origin of the term, its real-world applications in workplace equity, and the challenges individuals face when parts of their identities are ignored or marginalized.

Learn more about Evolve Benton's DEI Consulting https://evolvebenton.com/

Learn more about Breakfast Culture https://www.breakfastculture.org/

⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 – 03:00 | Introduction and talking about wage gap stats

03:01 – 06:30 | Defining intersectionality and Kimberlé Crenshaw's work
06:31 – 8:00 | How privilege shows up in race, queerness, language
8:01 – 11:00 | Canada vs. U.S. Black experiences
11:01 – 19:50 | Wage disparities: Statistics on women of color in the workplace
19:51 – 34:10 | Parenthood, privilege, and gender expectations at work
34:11 – 43:20 | Personal stories of workplace inequity 
43:21 – 58:52 | Politics and the power of collective advocacy
58:53 – End | "So what's the tea, Jefferson?"

🧠 Learning Outcomes
Defining Intersectionality: Kimberlé Crenshaw's term and its relevance across DEI and academic contexts.

The Wheel of Power and Privilege: How social identity categories influence power dynamics

Environmental Context: How location (e.g., U.S. vs. Canada) and community shift experiences of identity.

Invisible Intersections: The erasure of queerness in Black spaces and of race in queer spaces and how dual identities are often overlooked.

Gender Wage Gap Realities: A deep dive into post-pandemic wage disparities across gender, race, and parental status in both Canada and the U.S.
Allyship and Advocacy: Why asking for what you're worth—and supporting others to do the same—matters in workplace equity.

Host Bios
Jefferson Darrell (he/him) is a communications strategist and founder of Breakfast Culture. He uses creativity and cultural competency to help organizations dismantle systemic bias and lead with empathy. 

Evolve Benton (they/King) is the founder of Speaking 4 Profit, specializing in helping LGBTQ+ people thrive and lead in the workplace and in entrepreneurship. With over 12 years of experience as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion consultant and trainer, Evolve facilitates transformative conversations for organizations thriving to be culturally diverse and put DEI practices into action.

🔗 Resources Mentioned
Kimberlé Crenshaw – Scholar who coined the term intersectionality in 1989.

Sylvia Duckworth's Wheel of Power and Privilege – A visual tool for exploring identity-based privilege.

Catalyst – A research and advocacy organization for women in business.
Statistics Canada & the U.S. Census Bureau – Sources for wage gap statistics by gender, race, and parental status.