Black women are one of the most disrespected groups in America. 

In our society, the “angry Black woman” stereotype is used to portray Black women as inherently ill-mannered, aggressive, and rude. Our emotions are ignored, invalidated, or brushed aside. The anger of Black women is seen as unjustified, feeding into this caricature of the angry or sassy Black woman. 

The erasure of the voices and experiences of Black women in our society and in feminist movements as a whole is beyond infuriating. Non-Black “feminists” advocating for women’s education continue to be baffled when encountering an educated or “well spoken” Black woman. Even in our own school we are not immune to this type of discrimination.

It’s not uncommon for hall monitors, administrators, or even our own teachers to tell us to “calm down.” They tell us that we’re being dramatic or overreacting when we are only expressing our opinions.

This treatment only serves to perpetuate the marginalization and demoralization of Black women, highlighting the deeply ingrained racism and sexism that exists within our own community. 

Such experiences can also have a significant impact on Black women’s mental health, academic performance, and sense of belonging in school. 

Often, it’s hard for us to feel accepted even within our own Black community at Jackson-Reed. A large amount of colorism looms in the halls of this school, where dark skinned women are consistently told they are inferior to lighter skinned women based on different stereotypical characteristics. 

We have experienced this colorism firsthand through remarks such as “you’re really pretty for a dark skinned girl,” or “if only your skin was a little lighter, you’d be a lot more pretty!” It’s absurd that the darkness or lightness of our skin determines whether or not we are given these feminine qualities or compliments. 

It’s unacceptable that we are expected to suppress our voices just because it makes others uncomfortable or challenges their privilege. We need to empower Black women to take up space and speak out about the issues that affect us, centering our experiences in the fight for gender and racial equality. Only then can we truly work towards a more just and inclusive school community.