Several months ago, I went to see Wicked, the Broadway musical recently adapted for film. While I initially expected a form of escapist entertainment, I instead found myself engaged with a narrative that resonated on personal and professional levels. Ostensibly, although Wicked is presented as the story of Elphaba, a young woman with green skin, it operates as a broader allegory for systemic oppression, prejudice, discrimination and racism. Indeed, in many ways, the themes explored in the production reflected my own experiences as a racially minoritised Black British female educator, and also aligned closely with the accounts shared by participants in my research (see for example Miller, 2021).

Intersectionality, hypervisibility and exclusion

Crenshaw’s (1989) theory of intersectionality explains how race and gender intersect to position racially minoritised women (RMW) as simultaneously hypervisible and invisible within institutional and social contexts. In Wicked, Elphaba’s green skin serves as a metaphor for this duality. From the outset, Elphaba is marked as ‘other’, as she attempts to enter environments where inclusion is conditional, and difference is met with suspicion, scrutiny and exclusion. This mirrors the experiences of RMW, whose credentials are frequently questioned, whose expertise is often undervalued, and whose authority is regularly challenged (Miller, 2021). These behaviours are not always expressed through overt acts of discrimination but are more commonly manifested through microaggressions, subtle exclusions and heightened surveillance (Kim & Meister, 2023).

Even Elphaba’s own sister chooses to distance herself from her – a fictional dynamic that reflects real-world patterns of disassociation in the context of marginalisation. In other words, within systems that routinely penalise perceived dissent, the intersecting pressures of survival, career advancement and the emotional toll of sustained resistance can render silence and compliance seemingly necessary strategies for racially minoritised people (Jacob et al., 2023).

The role of authentic allyship

Wicked also highlights the importance of authentic allyship. Glinda, the popular White witch, initially mirrors the dominant biases of those around her. However, as her relationship with Elphaba grows, she begins to confront her own prejudices and, over time, she uses her privileged position to advocate for change. This narrative trajectory aligns with research showing that genuine allyship requires people with institutional power to actively challenge and dismantle structures that maintain the status quo. As Miller et al. (2023, p. 13) observe, White allies are often able to open doors and remove barriers in ways that those directly affected by institutional racism cannot.

The film’s defining moment, ‘Defying Gravity’, encapsulates Elphaba’s refusal to accept the constraints imposed upon her. Yet, by the film’s conclusion, her fate remains ambiguous. Does she escape, or will she return to claim her rightful place? This unresolved ending parallels the experiences of many RMW in professional settings, where the decision to persist in the face of ongoing marginalisation and erasure can become untenable (Miller, 2021; Miller et al., 2025).

‘Wicked’s unresolved ending parallels the experiences of many racially minoritised women in professional settings, where the decision to persist in the face of ongoing marginalisation and erasure can become untenable.’

A final reflection

While Wicked reminds us that challenging injustice often carries a personal cost, it also presents a narrative of possibility and transformation. That is, meaningful change becomes attainable when those in positions of privilege, power and influence confront their complicity and commit to accountability. Only then can we begin to develop working environments where racially minoritised people are not forced to ‘defy gravity’ simply to be acknowledged, respected or included.

References

Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1), 139–167. https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/uclf/vol1989/iss1/8

Jacob, G., Faber, S. C., Faber, N., Bartlett, A., Ouimet, A. J., & Williams, M. T. (2023). A systematic review of Black people coping with racism: Approaches, analysis, and empowerment. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 18(2), 392–415. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916221100509

Kim, J. Y., & Meister, A. (2023). Microaggressions, interrupted: The experience and effects of gender microaggressions for women in STEM. Journal of Business Ethics, 185, 513–531. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05203-0

Miller, D. A. (2021). Black British female managers: The silent catastrophe. Gender, Work & Organization, 28(4), 1665–1682. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12688

Miller, D. A., Essex, R., & Brown, C. (2025). ‘I’m managed by a White man who’s managed by a White man who’s managed by a White woman who’s managed by a White man’: The problem of institutional racism in a UK-based university. London Review of Education, 23(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.14324/LRE.23.1.08

Miller, D., Brown, C., & Essex, R. (2023). The psychosocial costs of racism to White staff members of an ethnically diverse, post-92 university. London Review of Education, 21(1), 39. https://doi.org/10.14324/LRE.21.1.39