For Colored Girls and #MeToo

by Brianna Sturkey 1 Comment

For Colored Girls is a classic, timeless, and moving master piece (and those are only the words I can fathom, if I am being forced to describe her work). Shange hits the nail on the head on so many topics that are taboo in the Black community such as abortion, rape, isolation, self discovery, and so much more. The part that hit the nail on the head for me was when the Lady in Red talks about rape saying ” women relinquish all personal rights/the presence of a man/who apparently cd be considered a rapist.” Two names come to mind after initially reading this quote. Anita Hill. Christine Blasey Ford. These two women had “relinquished all personal rights” to their lives, stories, and peace of mind the moment they came forward with their stories of sexual assault against powerful men. Both these women, Black and White, were shamed endlessly in the public eye and started social movements that brought the issues of rape and sexual harassment to the forefront of the American consciousness. However, “these men friends of [thiers]/ who smile nice/ stay employed.” This line is the most heartbreaking in Shange’s work, because it the truest. Men who smile nice and have power and influence will always remain employed, regardless of the trauma they cause. This happened with Clarence Thomas and now with Brett Kavanaugh. This cycle, 27 years apart, is a tale as old as time that criss crosses every racial and ethnic boundary. For Colored Girls is the #MeToo movement and the #MeToo movement is For Colored Girls. These two things are not separate and this is a radical and important connection to be made. Shange’s work not only liberates the agony that Black women often suffer in silence, she is also inadvertently pushing freedom for every woman regardless of race.

Comment ( 1 )

  1. Tirzah Anderson
    In reading this, I first thought about the many ways that the #MeToo movement has silenced black women as the specific issues of black women are overshadowed by elite women in Hollywood. I often think about if Shange's work can be placed alongside movements like #MeToo, considering her work specifically highlights the issues of black women, while the #MeToo movement has silenced many black women. This is also further complicated by the fact that Tarana Burke created the #MeToo movement, so its original purpose has shifted in many ways, now being a movement that centers elite women. I think in many ways #MeToo has helped highlight women's stories, but Shange's work seems to do so for women who are often the most silenced, so I am thinking about how the two can be understood in their impact and their original purpose. Do you think the two can be discussed in similar ways? Are there ways that Shange excludes certain experiences from her narrative as well?

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