In the midst of the Serena Williams fiasco, the issue of racial discrimination has come up once again.
Not only is that being put into the spotlight, the case of the ‘angry black woman’ is also being brought up. This notion claims that black women are consistently and stereotypically angry.
As law professor, Trina Jones eloquently iterated to BBC News, “Black women are not supposed to push back and when they do, they’re deemed to be domineering. Aggressive. Threatening. Loud.”
Australian cartoonist Mark Knight has come under fire for drawing a stereotypical racist cartoon of tennis icon Serena Williams.
The cartoon, first published by the Herald Sun has now gone viral with many people calling Knight and the publication for being racist and sexist.
Williams showed her dislike for being accused of cheating during her latest U.S. Open match against her opponent, Naomi Osaka. Subsequently, she was docked $10,000 for verbally using the umpire, $4,000 for being coached during the game and $3,000 for breaking a racket.
Black women, RT if you ever had to backspace and re-type the hell out of a work email so that you wouldn’t seem too “aggressive.”
— loryn wilson carter (@ElleWCarter) September 9, 2018
Many black women live in fear of being perceived as confrontational in conventional settings, as one Twitter user Loryn Wilson Carter posted on Sept 8, “Black women, RT if you ever had to backspace and re-type the hell out of a work email so that you wouldn’t seem too “aggressive.”
For some women should always be docile, cooperative and quiet. The following women are anything but passive.
Here are 5 black women who were labeled as angry when they were really passionate about their cause:
