If you're a black woman or even a black girl, I'm sure at some point in your life you have heard the "angry black woman" stereotype. It is a stereotype that seems to follow black girls and women throughout their young life until they're older. Personally, I'm so sick of hearing it and completely insulted. The fact that the word "angry" or "mad" is even connotative to a specific race of women is an issue within itself.
Many people don't even know how the stereotype first came about or realize how much deeper and detrimental the meaning truly is. The "angry black women" connotation first became well known when the show "The Amos 'n' Andy" show appeared on television. In the show, the wife constantly complained while snapping her neck at waving her finger at her husband because he was "dumb" and "ignorant". These characters were just recreations, modern day versions of minstrel characters used during the 19th century. Since the 1830s black women were ridiculed and displayed negatively on the minstrel stage. We were seen as jezebels who were greedy, disloyal, loud, and acted inappropriately in public. We've been portrayed in ways that do not accurately show who we are, but out of all the "traits" the angry part still remains to this day.
Not only are we angry but we're loud about it, as well. Since we have this dark shadow constantly on our heels it's damn near impossible for us to show any human emotion such as being upset or angry without being associated back to the "angry black woman". Sometimes I'm just angry over small things like someone being rude or cutting me off, but other times I'm angry over big things like the way black men and women are currently being treated in Amerikkka. So how am I, as a black woman, known as always being angry while a white woman can be angry and it's "normal". Becky can be pissed off about literally anything and no one thinks twice about it.
At this point, I am angry. I'm angry about how I am portrayed and the manner upon which society likes to "see" me. I am angry that my brothers and sisters are dying by the dozens every month. I'm angry about the injustices people of color have to endure in this country. I'm angry that I am not actually free in this so called "land of the free". I'm angry white people constantly want to steal bits and pieces from my culture like it's a trend. I'm mad so many cops have gotten away with cold-blooded murder. I'm angry the justice system isn't just for anyone that isn't white with money. And I'm angry black people are treated like second class citizens in a country our ancestors built from the ground up.
So if you ask me if I'm angry, I'm sure you can guess what I'm going to say: "Hell yeah!" and I have every right to be. Although my anger is justified I still choose to not be angry, everyday 24/7, 365 days out of the year. You want to know why? Because being angry is NOT who I am. I do not let anger consume my thoughts and overwhelm my emotions. I am more than just anger. I am happiness. I am sadness. I am elation. I am astonishment. I, as well as every other black girl and woman, am all the emotions every other person feels because I am HUMAN. Just because my presence, my walk, and my words are more powerful in their delivery than others does not mean I'm loud and angry. I just know my words, my people, and my life has a purpose. I cannot...No, I will not sit idly by knowing I am destined for greatness. So I'm not sorry if the way I speak or carry myself offends. I'm not sorry for being audacious and unapologetic. I am sorry if you cannot see past the stereotype of the "angry black woman" because I am so much more than that.
