The Inclusive college and intersectionality: Some reflections
The concept of the inclusive college—however defined—is increasingly recognized as a vital goal for higher education. Across North America, colleges and universities are undergoing a decades-long transition, striving to serve culturally diverse student bodies better. But inclusion is not just about representation; it’s about reimagining institutional structures to ensure that all students can fully benefit from the college experience. One powerful lens for this work is intersectionality. Rooted in Black feminist thought and popularized by scholars such as Patricia Hill Collins, intersectionality prompts us to examine how overlapping social identities—such as race, gender, class, disability, and sexual orientation—interact to shape advantage or disadvantage. It’s not enough to consider a student’s disability status in isolation. If that student is also a woman and a racial minority, the barriers to access may be compounded. These layered experiences of exclusion require a more nuance...