This month we are reflecting on tone policing and the angry black woman stereotype.

Our guest this month, Odelia Djoe used to stand up for herself against racial comments from her classmates when she was younger. Unfortunately this was interpreted as behavioral problems by her teachers, a phenomenon that is common for a lot of black girls even when they are just being “normal” kids and teenagers. According to a study by the New York Times, black girls are over five times more likely than white girls to be suspended at least once from school. This is the beginning of the experience of tone policing for a lot of black women and it follows black girls throughout their lives, manifesting as the "angry black woman" stereotype. A lot of black women, from Michelle Obama to Serena Williams to all of us have battled this stereotype in many ways. It ranges from microaggressive comments about how loud we laugh to being told to calm down in moments of passionate contributions. The angry black woman stereotype is one of the many reasons why a lot of black women feel like they cannot show up their full selves in predominantly white spaces.

Listen to Odelia’s episode here: https://bit.ly/BsquaredCOdeliaEp

Article on the historical perspective of the angry black woman stereotype: https://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/antiblack/sapphire.htm

Business insider article on tone policing https://www.businessinsider.nl/how-to-identify-and-help-stop-tone-policing-in-workplace-2020-8?international=true&r=US

https://www.inhersight.com/blog/allyship/tone-policing

Article about Serena Williams and the angry black woman stereotype: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45476500

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