Kimberlé Crenshaw to Discuss Memoir ‘Backtalker’ at Pasadena’s All Saints Church

All Saints Church will host legal scholar and author Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw for a public conversation about her memoir Backtalker on Tuesday, July 21, at the church’s campus at 132 N. Euclid Ave. in Pasadena.

The 7-to-9 p.m. event is part of the All Saints Forum Series, the church’s program bringing figures from theology, public life, culture and social justice to Pasadena for conversations on pressing contemporary issues, and it follows the May release of Crenshaw’s memoir. Admission is open to all.

Backtalker: An American Memoir was published by Simon & Schuster on May 5 and reached the New York Times bestseller list. In the book, Crenshaw offers a personal account of the experiences that shaped her intellectual and activist path, blending memoir, history and social critique to explore how challenging accepted narratives and refusing to stay silent became central to her work. It traces her life from her childhood in Canton, Ohio. She has described a backtalker as a frame she uses “to encourage people to talk back.”

Crenshaw is widely credited as the architect of the intersectionality framework, which she named in 1989, and as a foundational figure in Critical Race Theory. She is a Distinguished Professor of Law at UCLA and a professor at Columbia Law School, co-founder and executive director of the African American Policy Forum, and host of the podcast Intersectionality Matters! Her publisher describes her as the most-cited legal scholar in America.

In its announcement, All Saints tied the visit to what the church described as a period in which the work of Crenshaw and other scholars, activists and artists is being challenged, restricted and in some cases removed from public institutions by the current administration. The church said the memoir stands as both a testament and a call to action — not a story of despair, but a witness to a life lived with courage and hope that offers inspiration to “backtalkers” everywhere.

“As a church committed to justice, compassion and the dignity of every human being, All Saints is honored to host this important conversation,” the Rev. Tim Rich, priest-in-charge, said in the announcement. “Dr. Crenshaw’s work challenges us to listen more deeply, think more critically and engage more faithfully in the work of building a beloved community.”

Books will be available for purchase at the event from Octavia’s Bookshelf, the Pasadena independent bookstore founded by Nikki High in 2023 and named for Pasadena native science-fiction author Octavia Butler. For more information, the church lists Christina Honchell as a contact at 626-926-2542 and its website, allsaints-pas.org.

Founded in 1883 as the first Episcopal parish in Pasadena, All Saints built the first church at its Euclid Avenue site in 1889, and the current building was constructed from 1923 to 1924. The church says its legacy of advocacy includes a leadership voice in the 1970s anti-war movement and the 1990s anti-apartheid movement, the battle for the ordination of women, and the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights and marriage equity. The conversation with Crenshaw runs 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 21, at 132 N. Euclid Ave.; the event is open to the public and all are welcome.

Details of the event are drawn from an announcement provided by All Saints Church.