Can intersectionality survive in the age of Instagram?

Joris Lechêne—a Guadeloupe-born, Paris-raised, and London-residing activist—is an educator and intersectionality expert, using social media to explain the nuances of identity and social justice like no other. A blend of French and Caribbean culture with British influence, Lechêne is fluent in the complex intersections that have defined his life and work. He's aware, sharp, and unapologetically loud about the systems that shape and oppress identities. With an intensity matched only by the urgency of their message, Lechêne's voice finds a home on digital platforms and lecture halls alike, sharing perspectives on anti-racism, privilege, and the built environment with unwavering clarity.

The intersectional Influences

Lechêne's origin story is as layered as his identity. Born of mixed racial heritage–a Black Caribbean father and a white French mother–Lechêne grew up acutely aware of privilege and marginalized. A dual perspective is "seeing through the lens of both a white-dominant and Black-majority society," he reflects, a dichotomy that fueled their curiosity about social dynamics.

Lechêne's life has been a journey through privilege, marginalization, and everything in between. The added experience of being a neurodivergent in various cultural settings brings a sense of "positionality," as he puts it, a term championed as crucial for self-awareness in social justice work. He argues that positionality doesn't simply demand acknowledgment of identity but urges understanding how that identity shifts based on context, often without our control. "Anything outside of whiteness is already marginalization," Lechêne explains. "It's understanding the many ways in which you can be both privileged and marginalized at the same time."

Carving a Digital Platform

Though digital activism wasn't a planned career, it soon became essential. As the world grappled with the brutal murders of Black bodies at the hands of the police, Joris found his voice in this space, echoing the thoughts he'd held for years but now landing with a listening audience. “Suddenly, people were looking to me to make sense of what was happening,” he recalls. For Lechêne, social media became a means to address systemic issues, provide educational resources, and build a community for a cause larger than themselves.

Lechêne's platform spans more than racial equity. He addresses and provides a forum to dissect the colonial implications within architecture, urban spaces, and social power dynamics. Drawing on Joris's background, he explores how societal structures are built into our environment. "All power dynamics, including those shaping race, privilege, and oppression, are embedded in the structures we inhabit," he explains.

Lechêne's digital presence isn't just about awareness but also about encouraging action, even if that means unlearning and relearning alongside their audience. "I talk about architecture and urbanism, sure, but it's really about how our society imposes order and values through these things," he explains. The colonial mindset he criticizes permeates everything from public buildings to the policies that shape cityscapes. Joris urges his followers to recognize and deconstruct this influence in their lives.

Resisting the Algorithm

Being a content creator with an anti-establishment message comes with challenges. Joris speaks candidly about the "structural racism" of social media algorithms, which penalize creators discussing social justice issues. “If you post content about racism or political events, you're likely to see your reach suppressed," Lechêne explains, detailing Instagram's non-monetizable tags that disproportionately affect marginalized creators.

Lechêne likens the experience to being trapped in a system that amplifies and restricts voices depending on who's listening. While the internet is theoretically a democratizing force, Lechêne thinks otherwise. "It only took a global reckoning for people to pay attention to what I was saying," he reflects. "But now that they're listening, the algorithms are against me." The constant battle with platform moderation has sparked his ambition to explore alternative channels, like a dedicated YouTube series on decolonality and an upcoming book detailing the nuances of his message.

Beyond the Screen

Joris's work is broad, reaching far beyond the digital realm. As an anti-racism and decolonial theory trainer, he works primarily with British universities to address bias, privilege, and institutional inequality issues. But for him, activism is more than workshops or viral posts; it is about fostering meaningful, lasting change within communities. "Community is everything," he asserts. His emphasis on building support networks is part of his belief that collective strength is necessary for dismantling entrenched systems of oppression.

Through all of this, as a Black, queer, neurodivergent individual, Joris isn't incidental but central to his work. Growing up in the Caribbean, he was confronted with intersectional isolation. Queerness and Blackness in the region, he explains, often clash in ways that force one to "choose a side," a choice he rejects outright. Instead, Joris embodies a commitment to resisting binaries, understanding that identity and experience are far more layered and contradictory than any social structure would like us to believe.

"The system’s biggest win has been to isolate us in our struggles," he warns. By building and leaning on community, Joris insists that breaking through isolation becomes more than strategy but a radical act defying a world that wants you to think you're alone in your journey.

Joris Lechêne remains resolute in a world where activism can sometimes feel like shouting into the void. He's curated a voice that isn't just loud but also resonant. He serves to aid the young, the marginalized, and those who exist between labels who look to him for answers as they find a way to understand themselves in a society that may not fully see them. Lechêne, in his layered, intersectional glory, is a living testament to the power of that journey.

The best voices aren't found but forged, especially in the spaces where privilege and oppression collide.