Women of Color Standpoints: Introduction

The numerous terms associated with the histories and experiences of women of color (i.e., dual/multiple levels of consciousness, spirit murder, both/and, triple-bind, outsider-within, and womanist) all reflect an omnipresent awareness of the complexity of various states of being, as well as the relative degrees of power and visibility one has in any given family, community, or organizational environment. The articles in this forum, written by both emerging and established women scholars of color, contribute to a continuing discourse on these concepts. They provide insight into the various spaces of difference/privilege, intersectionality, outsider-within, and the triple/double-bind occupied by women of color, as well as the remarkable degrees of self-empowerment, self-definition, and voice they have developed in their communities of origin and within institutions of the dominant culture.