The Buzz: Women of Color: Angry, Ambitious Bitches

While I am elated that Joe Biden picked Senator Kamala Harris, a Black woman, as his running mate, I can’t help but think about the blatant racism and sexism that she will likely face. Racism and sexism continue to persist—even within the systems we would expect to hold in high regard.  

Just in the last three weeks, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC)(D-NY) was called a f*****g bitch by Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Florida), and some of Biden’s big financial backers discouraged him from choosing Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate because she’s “too ambitious.” The stereotype of the “angry Black woman” has also come up several times recently in sessions that The Winters Group is conducting for clients in response to the Black Lives Matter protests. In answer to the question, “What is it like to be Black at your workplace?”, a number of Black women have answered “perceived as angry.” 

The reality of anti-Black racism has taken center stage since the murder of George Floyd, awakening renewed interest and fervor the likes of which we have not seen since the Civil Rights Movement. It is my hope that as more people are educated and gain heightened understandings of just how entrenched and prevalent racism is, more will not just call out and admonish it, but will demand that the perpetrators be held accountable. 

According to AOC, she encountered Yoho on the steps of the Capitol where he told her that she was “freaking out of her mind” because she attributed a rise in crime in New York City to unemployment, poverty, and economic desperation brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. She then told him he was being rude, which is when he called her a “f*****g bitch.” 

In true AOC style, she was not going to let it go. Although he denied the allegation and refused to apologize, she called out Yoho and another male Representative (Roger Williams) who was with Yoho but claimed not to hear anything. AOC called out the patriarchal culture that allows such behavior to go unchecked. She said that her reason for highlighting the behavior was not about this one incident, because she has been called that and worse. It was about calling out a culture where those in power (usually white men) historically get impunity for their racist and sexist behaviors. Enough is enough. AOC, speaking for all women who have been similarly accosted, put those who would abuse their power in such racist ways on notice. It will not be tolerated anymore. 

Kamala Harris is indeed ambitious. Many Black women are ambitious—even more so than white women. According to Women in the Workforce report by McKinsey, despite facing more pitfalls to advancement, women of color have higher ambitions to be a top executive than white women. Since when did ambition become a negative attribute? Is it only a problem for the white power structure if a Black woman is ambitious? I have heard from a number of Black women in the corporate world that they have been told that they are too ambitious and need to wait—that they must pay their dues before being considered for a promotion. Additionally, their ambition has been interpreted as pushy and aggressive. Ambition, as defined in the dictionary, is a strong desire to achieve something usually requiring hard work and determination. If we want to dismantle our white supremacist, racist society, it will surely take hard work and determination. And yes, Kamala Harris and many other Black women are the epitome of this. 

And yes, many Black women are angry. A 2019 headline about Kamala Harris read: Kamala Harris isn’t afraid to show anger. That’s Progress—but is it good politics? Why is Harris called out for showing anger when so many other politicians do so without criticism? Living at the intersection of racism and sexism—what has been termed misogynoir—provokes anger. Malcom X said, “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.” This is just as true today as it was when he said it in 1962. James Baldwin said, “To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a state of rage almost all of the time.” He said this in 1961 and we still have plenty of reason to be enraged. Anger and rage have often proven throughout history to be powerful catalysts for change, as we are seeing today. Let’s pay more attention to the causes of this justifiable anger, rather than take the anger itself as another reason to denigrate and marginalize Black women and other women of color. 

In this movement of renewed Black activism where we seem to be willing to listen and be open to change, we must continue to call out behaviors which demean, denigrate, and intentionally discriminate against women of color.  We need allies from other identity groups, especially white men, willing to stand up and speak out. For example, The Bread for the World—a Christian organization dedicated to ending hunger—asked for and received Yoho’s resignation from the board of directors in response to his attack on AOC.   

It’s a new day folks. We will not be silent and there will be consequences. 

Let’s all do our part to make sure that the narrative about Vice Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris speaks to her capabilities and qualifications, and not the traditional racist and sexist smears—the misogynoir—that we have become accustomed to.  We all know that there will be forceful attempts to discredit and demean her and we must take a stand and hold the haters accountable.