ENCORE: 54. #SayHerName - the Art of Bearing Witness on the Page and Stage

ENCORE: 54. #SayHerName - the Art of Bearing Witness on the Page and Stage

Author: African American Policy Forum December 6, 2025 Duration: 1:05:24
It's the 11th anniversary of the #SayHerName Campaign. To commemorate, we're uplifting a favourite #SayHerName episode from our archive. Please join us on Dec 8 in NYC for a staged reading of #SayHerName - The Lives That Should have been, featuring a star-studded cast of performers, a talkback with the mothers of the #SayHerName Mothers Network, and a post-show party with performances by special guests. Get your tickets here. This episode highlights a new milestone for the #SayHerName campaign: a new book, entitled #SayHerName: Black Women’s Stories of Police Violence and Public Silence.  Co-authored by podcast host Kimberlé Crenshaw and the team at the African American Policy Forum, this book helps readers better understand Black women's susceptibility to police brutality and state-sanctioned violence. It explains —through Black feminist storytelling and ritual — how we can effectively mobilize various communities and empower them to advocate for racial justice for Black women, girls, and femmes. In this podcast episode, you'll hear incredible performances from actors at each of our #SayHerName book tour stops in Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Baltimore. You'll also hear from members from the #SayHerName Mothers Network, a sisterhood of women who have lost other women, girls and femmes in their family to police violence. You'll also hear from Dr. Kaye Wise Whitehead, Dr. Dorothy Roberts, and Kali Holloway, each of whom served as cohosts at book tour stops in their respective cities. They reflected with Dr. Crenshaw on the power of the tour, the calls to action from the book, and the urgency of the lessons the book contains. Centering Black women’s experiences in police and gender violence discourses sends the powerful message that, in fact, all #BlackLivesMatter, and that the police cannot kill without consequence. Supporting AAPF ensures that this important research and testimony continues to inspire change. To purchase your copy, click ⁠here⁠. Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw (@sandylocks), with Dorothy Roberts @DorothyERoberts, Kaye Wise Whitehead @kayewhitehead, and Kali Holloway @kalihollowayftw. Produced by Nicole Edwards and the team at the African American Policy Forum. Mixing by Sean Dunnam Music by Blue Dot Sessions Follow us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.

Hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw, who coined the term itself, Intersectionality Matters! brings the framework of intersectionality from academic theory into the heart of contemporary conversation. This podcast, presented by the African American Policy Forum, examines how overlapping social identities-such as race, gender, class, and sexuality-shape individual experiences of discrimination and privilege. Crenshaw, a foundational scholar of critical race theory, guides listeners through nuanced discussions that connect legal analysis, current events, and cultural critique. Each episode tackles pressing issues in the news, from voting rights and economic justice to political movements and pop culture, demonstrating how a single-axis view of inequality often falls short. The dialogue here is rigorous yet accessible, featuring conversations with activists, thinkers, and community organizers who are on the front lines. Listening to this podcast provides the analytical tools to understand the complex, interconnected nature of power in our society. It’s a space where the personal, the political, and the structural collide, offering clarity on why seeing problems through an intersectional lens is not just an intellectual exercise but a necessity for meaningful advocacy and change. You’ll hear deep dives into policy, law, and the stories that define our moment, all grounded in the reality that our struggles and liberations are deeply linked.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Intersectionality Matters!
Podcast Episodes
64. Election 2024 Round Table, Part 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:33
Welcome to AAPF's Election 2024 Round Table, Part 3! There is a lot of noise to cut through right now when it comes to the important issues at stake in the election. To bring nuance to the mainstream media narratives, be…
63. Election 2024 Round Table, Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:25
Welcome to AAPF's Election Round Table Series, Part 2! There is a lot of noise to cut through right now when it comes to the important issues at stake in the election. To bring nuance to the mainstream media narratives,…
62. Election 2024 Round Table, Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:12
There is a lot of noise to cut through right now when it comes to the important issues at stake in the election. To bring nuance to the mainstream media narratives, between now and election day, the African American Poli…
61. Why We Need Police Reform [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:34
Attorney Ben Crump joins host Kimberlé Crenshaw and members of the #SayHerName Mothers Network to spotlight the ongoing fight for justice for the killing of Sonya Massey by police. Warning: this episode contains graphic…
60. Tennessee: Tip of the Spear in the Fight for Democracy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:34
It’s Freedom Summer 2024! We’re celebrating the 60th anniversary of Freedom Summer 1964, and kicking off our annual Critical Race Theory Summer School in the locus for the recent attacks on racial justice and democracy:…
59. A moment with Tim Wise [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:31
Join host Kimberlé Crenshaw behind the scenes at the African American Policy Forum in this series of brief, intimate conversations on intersectionality and how we can use it to interpret and navigate our multiracial demo…
58. A moment with CJ Hunt [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:50
Join host Kimberlé Crenshaw behind the scenes at the African American Policy Forum in this series of brief, intimate conversations on intersectionality and how we can use it to interpret and navigate our multiracial demo…
57. Never Too Much: The Untold Story of Luther Vandross [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:45
Guest Dawn Porter, director of Luther: Never Too Much, joins host Kimberlé Crenshaw to discuss a new Luther Vandross biopic. They explore Luther's unmatched artistry, the intersections of the pop star's lived experience…
56. The Revolutionary Act of Self Care [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:22
Guest host Shermena M. Nelson is joined by Huru founder Imani Joye Samuels to discuss the life-saving importance of rest for Black women. They also unpack strategies for creating a sustainable, effective self care practi…