Her Life’s Work Became a Scapegoat. Now What?

Her Life’s Work Became a Scapegoat. Now What?

From What Next | Daily News and Analysis by Slate Podcasts

May 5, 2026 · 29 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of intersectionality and critical race theory in the context of recent changes to the Voting Rights Act.

“Intersectionality” was one of those “DEI terms” that the Trump administration and Project 2025 were eager to do away with once they got back into power. But to understand what just happened to the Voting Rights Act, a little critical race theory would go a long way.  Guest: Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw , civil rights advocate, co-founder and executive director of the African American Policy Forum (AAPF), law professor at UCLA and Columbia , and author of many books including Backtalker: An American Memoir . Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Guest: Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw

Topics covered

  • intersectionality
  • Voting Rights Act
  • critical race theory
  • DEI terms
  • civil rights
  • Trump administration

Keywords

  • intersectionality
  • Voting Rights Act
  • critical race theory
  • DEI
  • civil rights
  • Trump administration
  • Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: African American Policy Forum, UCLA, Columbia, Slate Podcasts, Project 2025

Books & works: Backtalker: An American Memoir

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