Every Right To Be Angry — Black Women’s Rage as Resistance

In her book, Case for Rage, philosopher and professor Myisha Cherry takes the stance where instead of upholding the stoic ideals of being a “Strong Black Woman,” we embrace our anger and utilize a form of resistance she coined as “Lordean rage” after the iconic activist and author, Audre Lorde. This rage is a tool in combating racism by first acknowledging the rage that racism brings about — in short, Lorde and Cherry argue that it is not simply okay to be angry. It is powerful to be angry. Audre Lorde argued, “It is not the anger of other women that will destroy us but our refusals to stand still, to listen to its rhythms, to learn within it, to move beyond the manner of presentation to the substance, to tap that anger as an important source of empowerment.”Thus, while the expression of rage is often seen as immoral or immature, Cherry argues that this rage can be harnessed for collective positive change.

Such rage was echoed by iconic actress, Taraji P. Henson. During the press tour for the 2023 film, “The Color Purple,” Henson expressed her outrage at the treatment of Black women in the entertainment industry. Discussing unequal pay for Black women in the film industry, she admitted that she considered giving up on her dream career for the sake of preserving her self-worth. Through tears, she says, “I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do, and getting paid a fraction of the cost.” Arguing that “If I can’t fight for them coming up behind me then what the fuck am I doing?”

The same sentiments were expressed by Mo’Nique in a 2015 profile for The Hollywood Report, as she spoke out about the injustices Black women face in the entertainment industry compared to their white counterparts. Despite her very valid frustrations, Monique said that she was shamed and later blackballed from the industry. “They call it bitterness…They give it all these titles except what it really is.” 

In expressing anger for their own discrimination and others that might follow in their footsteps, Monique and Henson were expressing Lordean rage. They were not simply angry about their own confrontations with injustice, an anger that Cherry calls “narcissistic anger,” but they inspired a collective awareness around a destructive pattern — a system that underlines the mistreatment of Black women.  

In the same vein, Serena Williams expressed frustration at an umpire in the 2018 U.S. Open for penalizing her on three coding violations, which she argued was due to sexism. Public mockery followed, with her actions being labeled as an “outburst” that “overshadowed” Naomi Osaka’s win. An article from the Guardian that year, for instance, noted that “Williams could have ignored” the penalty, reflecting society's inclination for Black women to just endure undervaluation and disrespect silently, rather than running the risk of jeopardizing your career. Whether or not the umpire’s call was right or wrong is for the tennis experts to argue — the point is that rage is human, and Black women should be allowed to express such rage without being labeled as inhuman. Thus, the question arises — why does the world wield rage against Black women with few consequences, while Black women’s expression of anger is constantly stifled? Rather than ignore our rage, Cherry argues, why not use it?

Oftentimes, being a black woman means forfeiting yourself and your feelings for the sake of another's peace of mind while steadily having your personhood and emotions invalidated. In the face of oppressive expectations urging us to sit quietly and be patient, I echo Monique's poignant question — “At what point do we stop saying the next time?” We do a further disservice to ourselves by suppressing our humanity. 

Radical resistance remains crucial, and embracing our anger and recognizing our experiences as valid becomes an act of self-preservation and self-liberation. This not only establishes a norm but fosters the interpersonal understanding essential for collective resistance and progressive change.

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Black Women and the Critique of Gender as Category

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For the Women, By the Women — UWL and UBLSA’s First Annual Women of Color in Law Panel