Intersectionality is word that is often cited but not very often explained. It is a theory, a practice, an idea that strives to consider the various aspects of an individual, how they present themselves, and how they are perceived -- from their class, to their race, gender, culture, sexual orientation, disability, and so on. It is an idea that tries to represent people as personalities instead of aspects of their personalities. Each factor under these umbrellas of identification, and more, are always complexly interacting and creating the people we see and interact with.

Acknowledging and respecting that each person is a unique combination of all these traits and characteristics, means acknowledging the person’s humanity and individuality. In a world of labels, receiving one, may often mean another aspect of your personality is ignored or forgotten, and at times, your uniqueness and your intersectionality is focused on, to the exclusion of everything else.

Poet Kavindu “Kavi” Adé performs their poetry from the mind, presence, and consciousness of a “black-trans-queer” body. Adé speaks, rhymes and expresses their myriad of emotions about the injustices, feelings, and occasions of their life and many other people like them. They promote and create a dialogue that is not often found in society through their art and expression. They have performed in over 50 colleges and is a recipient for the Leeway

Transformation Award which celebrates female and trans artists who “create art for social change.”

Acknowledging Adé as a poet alone would not do their image and their message due respect and justice. They are an activist, an educator, and a creator. Through their “Mending Masculinity” tour, their vision for a responsive, active and engaged dialogue is visible. Alongside fellow poet, activist, and performer, Vision, they explore their masculinity through their separate but equally valuable perspectives. Together, they tackle many of the topics and conversations that are still viewed as “heavy” or “controversial” today.

On March 13 at the Hobbs Library in Sadleir House, Kavi Adé will perform as well as conduct an engaged Q&A session starting at 6 P.M. The free event is organized and coordinated by the Centre for Gender and Social Justice who host several events centralized around their goal to “create a safer space for people who experience gendered oppression” and to “challenge the oppressive ideas, actions, institutions and systems that impose limited understandings of sex and gender, and reproduce sexism, cis privilege and transphobia.”

Through acknowledgement and providing a stage for strong voices on matters of sex, gender, class and other hierarchies of oppression in an intersectional way, we create a space for discussion of our experiences. Awareness of each other’s intersectional situations and the complexity of our personalities is one that will continue to foster more progress and forward-thinking initiative such as this. Join CGSJ and Kavi Adé to lend a listening ear to important voices and become an active part of the conversation.