Ep. 6: Intersectionality Isn't Optional

Episode 6 makes the case that you cannot fix inequity for Black veterans if you only look at one identity at a time. Building on intersectionality, the episode shows how race, gender, class, disability, sexual orientation, and other identities overlap to produce compounded risk, especially for those who already face higher denial rates, poorer outcomes, or greater exposure to trauma. Listeners are introduced to concepts like “weathering” and allostatic load to describe the physical toll of living with chronic, intersectional stress. Then the conversation turns practical: how data, dashboards, training, and governance have to change so the VA can actually “see” the veterans who are most at risk instead of flattening them into averages. This episode acts as a hinge, connecting earlier conversations about pain and claims to upcoming ones about climate, representation, and data.