Stereotypes permeate our society through media depictions and social interactions. Popular stereotypes are often based on race, gender, or class.
Experiencing both a combination of race and gender, Black women are faced with stereotypes of being mean, aggressive, or overly assertive. A perception that created the “Angry Black Woman,” a label that stereotypes Black women and manipulates characteristics about them into a negative light.
In a 2019 NPR interview, Dr. Brittney Cooper discussed utilizing the power of anger in her book, Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower. Cooper, an Associate Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at Rutgers University, gives reasoning to what this label for Black women means in broader, societal terms.
“Whenever someone weaponizes anger against Black women, it is designed to silence them. It is designed to discredit them and to say that (click here for full read)