Fresh Air

Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw’s path from ‘Backtalker’ to legal scholar

May 5, 2026·44 min·7-min readinterviewpolitics
Podzilla Summary (7 min)
TLDR
Legal scholar Kimberly Williams Crenshaw reflects on her life and intellectual journey in her memoir Backtalker, tracing the origins of intersectionality and critical race theory to personal and historical experiences of racial and gender injustice. She recounts how systemic erasure and

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Guest

K

Kimberly Williams Crenshaw

interview on Fresh Air

Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Kimberly Williams CrenshawTonya MosleyAnita HillClarence ThomasMartin Luther King Jr.Thurgood Marshall

Books

Backtalker: An American Memoirby Kimberly Williams Crenshaw

Companies

General Motors

Topics

Civil Rights HistoryHistory Of ScienceLong Form JournalismNonfictionPhilosophyRacial JusticeUs Politics

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