WWhen Fani Willis, a Black woman and district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia, indicted former President Donald Trump in September, right-wing media pundits immediately responded with racist attacks.she was called “Thugs” Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani called her ” “Incompetent and sloppy prosecutor.” Despite the fact that Top 1% of prosecutors Historically, portraying Black women as undesirable, offensive, or threatening people simply because they are Black women is a common pattern of behavior found in sports, politics, and entertainment across the board. goes back to chattel slavery. surely, “Angry Black Woman” This is one of the most enduring tropes in our culture, visible both on-screen and off-screen.
In August, Argentina’s Paola Suarez criticized tennis sensations Serena and Venus Williams. “Arrogant and unfriendly.” What right-wing speakers fail to realize, however, is that black women are under no obligation to be liked by anyone — especially if that likeability does not tolerate gross disrespect or is rarely tolerated by others. If it is defined by the requirement to develop a level of humility that is not required.
It is our collective responsibility to address the impact of harmful stereotypes against Black women and to question their relevance in culture, media, and sports.
Our culture expects Black women to remain humble in their positions or risk being called “uppity” or “ungrateful.” For example, bravado is celebrated in the world of professional sports. The late boxer and humanitarian Muhammad Ali famously called himself “the greatest man of all time.” But similar bravado is not tolerated by arguably the greatest black women in their fields, like Williams and Shakari Richardson. Instead, they are expected to remain in place.
This August, Richardson became the world’s fastest female runner. 100m dash is 10.65 seconds in Budapest, Hungary.She justifiably called herself “That girl,” A woman who won the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials and went on to leave behind an admirable legacy. disqualification A person has tested positive for drugs ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. Instead of focusing on her athletic ability, many in her sports community demonized her for her past failures.Adding to her injury Richardson was not extended an invitation to ESPN 2023 ESPYs. Instead, Richardson was expected to shrink himself to avoid offending anyone, and was required to remain humble to be accepted by the public. Even though black women occupied mere social status; 9.4% At the 2020 U.S. Open, as Black women enter fields that have traditionally been excluded, the status quo criticizes and shuts them out.
In addition to being forced to display modesty, black women are expected to endure disrespect and hardship in their professional lives. For example, as a Black female physician, I experience race- and gender-based microaggressions every day, even though Black women are underrepresented. 3% Occupation. Recently, a surgical colleague undermined my decision to intubate a critically ill patient in front of the entire team. He looked to my medical residents (all men) to confirm my decision. Because he didn’t think I looked like a doctor, or at least not one with good decision-making skills. How I responded received more scrutiny than my harmful actions that delayed patient care.
This excessive expectation of durability feeds something dangerous and harmful. “Strong Black Women” The myth was created by expecting black women to endure discrimination without validating our pain and feelings. This metaphor was originally intended to inspire and empower Black women, but contributes to the medical field while ignoring our physical and mental suffering, and our socio-economic and It promotes the idea that personal needs should come last in political campaigns. Ultimately, this myth that we are strong or magical dehumanizes us.
Furthermore, the expectations that black women have to endure Misogynoir, or hatred or disgust towards black women, manifests itself in a variety of ways. For example, when Louisiana State University became a basketball champion. angel wreathWhen her team won the NCAA women’s basketball championship against the University of Iowa, Reese waved her hand in front of her face, implying that her skills were unparalleled and that no one could compete with her. While another white female basketball player, Caitlin Clark, used the gesture throughout the season and received praise, Reese faced scrutiny as a black woman. When the very presence of a black woman in a white-majority neighborhood is an act of radical defiance, the nation demands that we endure incivility in a way that does not upend the status quo.
When gender and race intersect on the court and in sports, Black women often find themselves in a precarious position. Despite our accomplishments, humility is expected and required, along with calmness in the face of unchecked racist harassment. For example, recent research shows that harvard business review Participants indicated that they were more likely to attribute Black female employees’ anger to personality traits rather than external factors harming Black women in the workplace. Additionally, parents and educators need to stop socializing girls to be nice and well-behaved while boys are allowed to be noisy and assertive.These factors indicate that black women 6 times They are more likely to be suspended from school than white girls for similar violations.
Black women are not owed society’s likability, humility, or superhuman strength. We owe our colleagues the same compassion, support and humanity. It is our collective responsibility to address the impact of harmful stereotypes against Black women and to question their relevance in culture, media, and sports. Doing so would not only reveal the causes of their evil, but also give black women a much-needed complexity of identity and grace of humanity.
Dr. Katrina Gipson is an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. She is the Founding Program Director of the Emory University Health Policy Fellowship and a Public Her Voice Fellow with the OpEd Project and Academy Health.
