Johnson, Chelsea: IntersectionAllies: We Make Room for All

IntersectionAllies: We Make Room for All by Chelsea Johnson, Latoya Council, and Carolyn Choi. Illustrated by Ashley Seil (Dottir Press, hardcover)

Publication Date: July 23, 2019

Publisher Marketing: 

[A] celebration of solidarity, allyship, and community...A welcoming resource for conversations about equality and social justice that shows readers how identities are made up of myriad influences.--PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

The brainchild of three women-of-color sociologists, IntersectionAllies is a smooth, gleeful entry into intersectional feminism. The nine interconnected characters proudly describe themselves and their backgrounds, involving topics that range from a physical disability to language brokering, offering an opportunity to take pride in a personal story and connect to collective struggle for justice.

The group bond grounds the message of allyship and equality. When things get hard, the kids support each other for who they are: Parker defends Kate, a genderfluid character who eschews skirts for a superhero cape; Heejung welcomes Yuri, a refugee escaping war, into their community; and Alejandra's family cares for Parker after school while her mother works. Advocating respect and inclusion, IntersectionAllies is a necessary tool for learning to embrace, rather than shy away from, difference.

Featuring gorgeous illustrations on every page by Ashley Seil Smith, as well as powerful introductions by activist and law professor Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw, who coined the term "intersectionality," and Dr. Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro, author of Intersectionality: An Intellectual History.