Kristina Boerger Oral History Part 2

Kristina Boerger Oral History Part 2

Anti-lesbian discrimination

Civil rights (LGBTQ)

Anti-feminism

Lesbian activism

Kristina Boerger discusses her place within society, specifically focusing on the privileges that she holds and how they have affected her life.

Kristina Boerger

2021-04-16

Liv Borawski

In Copyright

.mp3

English

Sound

Champaign, Illinois

Urbana, Illinois

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

00:03:57

Liv Borawski: So, if you could talk a little bit more about that maybe specifically on, not necessarily the privilege that you had. But, um, how like, I don't know if you've had other friends who like, maybe where POCs that we're like, we're part of this movement but were they affected in any different way like, do you remember any like specific incidents at the time where your privilege as being a white woman stood out and helped you possibly even achieve your goal quicker than someone else who maybe was, looks different than you.

Kristina Boeger: You know all the time I've been conscious that what has helped me do pretty well despite the obstacles of heteronormative, first of all my race privilege. And secondly, my, my, my educational privilege and my economic privilege. You know, when I was at U of I, you know, that's, you know, we had a, I had, I had comrades of color, certain as an activist. And we came from different backgrounds, but of course we were already, united at the university so we had already accessed one of the primary mechanisms for overcoming, certain conditions of poverty that may have been in the backgrounds of our families or whatever. So I think that, um. You know my. The integration of my life with the lives of people of color, coming from poverty or in communities of color, not in white space where they were you know a few people of color that, that came later in my life. But I do want to, I do want to say that I was prepared for it initially, thanks to the scholarship and the hard work of two professors in particular white women, white lesbians, radical feminists at U of I. Pat Kramer and Ann Cruso, who, when they were grad students, offered some of the first radical curricula in intersectional feminism. They truly did all their studying from the leadership of radical women of color and they just made it imperative that we, that everybody in the classroom, but certainly that we, white students read, study, learn, practice open that view. Also, um, you know, that was sort of a campus manifestation of a national phenomenon within radical lesbian spaces that, you know, the white sisters, really held one another responsible early on. For, unlearning our racism and doing that according to the leadership by studying and following the leadership of radical women of color. And, that is one tremendous contribution of lesbian feminism to our country and that is one place. I think it's the one culture per say, that I can name where, white women did not let down our brothers and sisters of color in the United States with our political analysis. We actually lead whereas in, in most other spaces you know when you look at the figures on how many white women voted for Trump or, you know, it's just it's just not so happy. You know, later when I was at moving out in the world I had more freedom and opportunity to choose where I lived the people, I circulated with people, I studied with, and to really much further desegregate my life and my experiences and my study, and my political and artistic alliances, so that's that's been a great benefit. But, I mean, in order for myself to have been ready to make those steps and not to be just completely annoying as a white person to the people of color in those spaces. I did so much study. You know, I did just so much study, thanks to the leadership of these radical, you know these radical, feminist lesbians, and white and of color who that I was introduced to through my through being a university student.

Liv Borawski

Kristina Boerger

Virtual