The Urgency of Intersectional Advocacy: Why We Must Fight Back Now

The Moment We Are In

America is in crisis. Again. The rights of marginalized communities—particularly Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), trans individuals, and the economically disenfranchised—are under attack from every angle. DEI programs? Slashed. Gender-affirming care? Criminalized. Affirmative action? Struck down. Book bans? Skyrocketing. It’s no coincidence—it’s a pattern. Every time marginalized communities make progress, the backlash follows. We’ve seen this before, and history tells us that if we don’t fight back, things will only get worse.

To mount an effective resistance, we need to recognize what’s happening: a systematic attempt to roll back progress under the guise of “protecting” tradition. But here’s the truth—this isn’t just about DEI or LGBTQ+ rights. It’s about democracy itself. And if we don’t act now, we risk losing far more than we realize.

A Dangerous Pattern: History Keeps Repeating Itself

Every era of progress has been followed by a vicious backlash. The playbook hasn’t changed—it’s just been updated for the 21st century.
Reconstruction and Jim Crow: Black Americans made gains after the Civil War, only to be met with voter suppression, segregation, and state-sanctioned violence. Today’s gerrymandering, voter ID laws, and attacks on affirmative action echo these old tactics, just with new branding.

• The Civil Rights Movement and the War on Drugs: The 1960s brought massive strides for racial justice, but instead of openly opposing civil rights, politicians shifted to coded policies—mass incarceration, “tough on crime” laws, and the gutting of welfare programs. Sound familiar? Today’s policies target the same communities but under different names: “anti-woke” laws, attacks on Critical Race Theory, and the defunding of public programs.
• Stonewall, the HIV Epidemic, and LGBTQ+ Resistance: LGBTQ+ people have always fought for their rights, from Stonewall to ACT UP. But each victory has been met with attempts to erase and criminalize queer existence. The anti-trans legislation and book bans we’re seeing today are just another iteration of the same old story—only now, they’re wrapped in a false narrative of “protecting women and children.”
• The DEI Boom and Bust: After the 2020 racial justice uprisings, corporations and institutions rushed to embrace DEI efforts. Now? They’re backing out. Conservative politicians have found an easy target in diversity initiatives, and companies that once posted black squares and rainbow logos are suddenly silent. Why? Because for them, DEI was always about optics, not systemic change.

The Current Crisis: How Progress is Being Erased

The attacks on civil rights, racial justice, and LGBTQ+ protections are not random; they are systematic and intentional. The Supreme Court’s decision to gut affirmative action is just one example of a larger movement to roll back progress. In Republican-led states, gender-affirming care is being banned not just for minors but increasingly for adults as well. Books that discuss racism, queer identity, or the realities of America’s past are being pulled from shelves at an unprecedented rate, ensuring that younger generations are denied the truth.

These efforts disproportionately harm Black and Indigenous communities, which remain the most heavily policed and incarcerated groups in the country. Trans people—especially Black trans women—face rising violence, compounded by legal and economic discrimination. As housing costs soar and wages stagnate, the economic gap is widening, leaving marginalized people with fewer options and greater vulnerability.

And yet, while these attacks escalate, some of the very institutions that claimed to stand for justice are retreating. DEI programs that once seemed promising are being dismantled under pressure. Corporate allies that once proudly displayed rainbow logos and Black Lives Matter statements are now silent. The pattern is clear: when resistance is no longer trendy, support disappears.
White and cis-hetero allies must recognize their role in this crisis—not as leaders, but as facilitators of change. We don’t need saviors; we need those with institutional power to step up in tangible ways. Your voices are heard in spaces where ours are ignored. You have access to financial and legal resources that can be used to uplift rather than overshadow our movements. True allyship means making space, funding grassroots efforts, and using your privilege to battle these legislative assaults head-on. Stand beside us—not in front of us. This isn’t about optics. It’s about survival.

How We Fight Back: Lessons from Resistance Movements

History proves that real change comes from grassroots activism, not performative allyship. Every major civil rights victory—from desegregation to marriage equality—was won through relentless, organized resistance. If we want to stop this rollback, we need to apply the lessons of past movements.

The Combahee River Collective taught us that Black feminist organizing must address the interconnected nature of race, gender, and class oppression. Queer liberation movements, led by figures like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, showed that real change happens when the most marginalized are at the center of the fight. The Black Panthers, Young Lords, and American Indian Movement didn’t wait for permission from institutions; they built their own solutions, from free breakfast programs to community defense initiatives.

Now is the time for White and cisgender/heterosexual allies to reinvest in grassroots efforts. Mutual aid networks, local organizers, and direct-action movements need your support. You have power in legal and policy spaces where we are often excluded, so use it. Challenge these rollbacks in court, fight for inclusive legislation, and push back against those seeking to erase progress. But beyond that, hold your own communities accountable. Speak up at your workplace, in your faith spaces, and at your dinner tables.

Most importantly, don’t center yourself. This fight isn’t about personal redemption or looking “woke.” It’s about ensuring that marginalized communities have the resources, platforms, and protection needed to fight for themselves. True advocacy isn’t just posting statements of solidarity; it’s putting your time, money, and reputation on the line—even when it’s inconvenient or unpopular.

The most important lesson we can take from history is that divided movements fail. The same forces attacking Black rights are attacking trans rights, and the same politicians who gut DEI programs are the ones eroding voting rights. Our struggles are not separate—they are deeply intertwined. And our fight must be just as unified.

The Fight for Justice is the Fight for Democracy

What’s happening right now isn’t just about DEI policies or trans rights—it’s a full-scale assault on democracy. The erosion of civil rights protections, voting rights, and bodily autonomy is part of a larger strategy to maintain systemic power.

But history also shows us that collective resistance can turn the tide. Every major civil rights victory—whether it was desegregation, marriage equality, or the repeal of anti-sodomy laws—came because people refused to back down.

Now, it’s our turn to take up that fight. The question is: Are we ready?
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Because if we don’t act now, we’ll be asking ourselves, years from now, how we let it all slip away.