The “Angry Black Women”

by Aissata Ba 2 Comments

I find it interesting and not at all surprising that no matter where we, as women of color, go, we have to re-identify and prove ourselves. We have to convince others why we belong and deserve to be where we are. We contribute so much to history but nothing is ever credited to us. I think this is one of the many things that make black feminism or any feminism different from that of white feminism. Up to my knowledge and I recognize that that knowledge is limited, white women do not have to go through the phase of needing to accepted or the desire and requirement to create a discourse space. By discourse space, I am referring to a space that welcomes all kinds of discourse. This is a necessary component and, most of the times, an obstacle for black women because their stories and contributions are always ignored or not given the credit at which it deserves. They are not allowed to be angry at the system that keeps them oppressed, they are not allowed to be intelligent as that would make them intimidating, they are not allowed to talk about race because “why does everything have to be about race” etc. This Becky Thompson mentions when talking about the ignored stores and contributions of women like Angela Davis, Assata Shakur, and Marilyn Buck. The stories we don’t learn about because “black women do not contribute much in intellectual communities.”

I found Thompson’s conversation about the small group of white women who were “determined to understand how white privilege had historically blocked cross-race alliances among women, and what they, as white women, needed to do to work closely with women of color.” An important aspect of fighting against any type of oppression is first realizing that it exists. Then comes recognizing who benefits and who surfers from this oppression. When the group that benefits from this oppression, even if it’s just a small population of them, realizes their privilege then and only then can there be hopes of eliminating that oppression.

 

 

Comments ( 2 )

  1. Onyekachi Iwu
    What I find compelling is how you drew out the major difficulties that women of color face within feminism, especially when trying to navigate solidarity with white women. A lot of the violence that we experience is due to our inability to measure up to white women, and such a dynamic of power makes me question whether this relationship can ever be reconciled. Especially when in my experience, many white women aren’t as interested in recognizing their own power within whiteness, and or more concerned about dismantling power structures in terms of gender. There is so much complexity within the anger of black women, so much anguish and hurt and tiredness.How is the “anger” of white women received differently than black women? How do you think the image of “anger” plays out for different women of color? Is the “Angry Black Women”, where our anger is weaponized against us rather than being recognized as pain, have any kind of equivalent for other women of color? And how do other women of color weaponize this against us? In my experience, I feel like the “anger” black women carry is often called upon by other women of color for us to fight and speak for everyone, like a “social justice mule”. However, this demand of our energy to defend and fight for others isn’t always reciprocated. This also makes me think of how often the work we do for ourselves is stolen not only by white women, but other women of color as well as something that is “universal”. Hashtags like “Say Her Name” and “Black Lives Matter”, both created by black women to defend blackness, have been stolen by other women, uncredited, to draw attention to other movements.
  2. Kim Hall
    Aissata, you illuminate some of the very specific ways that black women are discouraged from addressing the specificities of our own oppression. I know it's difficult when talking about such big, explosive topics using theoretical terms, but it might help to elaborate on and break down some of your ideas like "discourse space." Can you define that without using the term "discourse." Is it the same thing as a safe space or a something more powerful. Is it a space where we can listen and challenge each other?

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