“Feminist Killjoys and Other Willful Subjects,” by Sara Ahmed, encompasses the struggles of modern-day feminists. Not only does the author dote on the obstacles feminists must face, but she also highlights the battles that feminists of color must endure. As we have noted in our previous readings, black women tend to be invisible in society, and often times are ostracized from certain groups, which does not falter when it comes to feminism. Unfortunately, feminists still struggle to accept the women of color into the movement, because, as Ahmed asserts, “The angry black woman can be described as a killjoy; she may even kill feminist joy, for example, by pointing out forms of racism within feminist politics.” This concept of “the angry black woman” is presented multiple times throughout Ahemd’s argument as she strives to perhaps offer an explanation as to why black women are excluded from their own gender’s movement. A description of white female activists proves to be telling of the horrendous ostracization of women of color: “A group of white feminist activists who do not know one another may be present at a meeting to discuss feminist theory. They may feel bonded on the basis of shared womanhood, but the atmosphere will noticeably change when a woman of color enters the room. The white woman will become tense, no longer relaxed, no longer celebratory.” Ahmed attributes the exclusion to the tension that perhaps a person of color may bring to the movement. In some cases, just the presence of a black woman in a room of white activists seems to cause tension, and sadly enough, she would not even have to speak to create a certain stiffness.
The concept of “the angry black woman” is further dissected as anger is blamed for creating the initial threat to the social bond of feminists. It seems as if the movement of feminism is looked at objectively as a delicate crusade. Being as delicate as it is, white feminists specifically seem to struggle when including women of color as they perhaps are still easing into being accepted by society. However, this certain exclusion is entirely hypocritical as women everywhere are fighting desperately to become equals among men yet reject the equal presence of women of all races. The modern-day movement is relatively inclusive, but still partially rejects black women as history proves it nearly always does. Ahmed includes an excerpt of our own Audre Lorde, stating: “When women of Color speak out of the anger that laces so many of our contacts with white women, we are often told that we are ‘creating a mood of helplessness,’ ‘preventing white women from getting past guilt,’ or ‘standing in the way of trusting communication and action.’” Evidently, history continually interjects on the strides made by black women, as they are unable to seamlessly meld within the feminist movement due to society’s inherent racism.
Women of color are not only fighting for their voices in the feminist movement, they are fighting simply to have a voice among society. If white women feel oppressed or less respected than men, it is simply devastating to think of the frustration that feminists of color must face in our society daily: “The figure of the angry black woman is a fantasy figure that produces its own effects. Reasonable, thoughtful arguments are dismissed as anger, which makes you angry, such that your response becomes read as the confirmation of evidence that you are not only angry but also unreasonable!” Rage and frustration as a woman in society is inevitable, as females are reminded of their lower statuses throughout history quite frequently. Yet the black woman must face an even harsher, more cruel history, as she struggles to even remain visible among the feminist movement. The fact that we cannot come together as women and embrace each other no matter our differences, in my opinion, only hinders the movement rather than advances it.
Discussion Questions:
1. Why is it that a movement regarding equality would reject the presence of
diversity?
2. The concept of “the angry black woman” is consistently mentioned throughout this particular article. Can you think of a specific moment in literature or film where this was exploited?
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Hey Emily, great job with your blog post, I think you organized your take-aways from the article really well. The “Feminist Killjoys” article covers a lot of issues with feminism that happen under the surface and especially the issues of racism in modern feminist movements. To answer your second question about the “angry black woman” trope, I can think of no better example than Claudia Rankine’s Citizen: An American Lyric, where she uses the real-life example of Serena Williams. Serena is the greatest (women’s or men’s) tennis player in the world and she is punished more frequently and severely than her white counter parts. As Ahmed states, “The figure of the angry black woman is a fantasy figure that produces its own effects” (Ahmed). Because Serena is a strong black woman, any expression of frustration becomes a heightened display of the “angry black woman” and results in penalties and suspensions. When the greatest athlete, playing on the largest stage of the game, can still be penalized for being black and a woman I would say that is a huge hinderance to progress indeed.
Hi Emily! I really enjoyed reading your blog post and the ideas you proposed throughout it to emphasize the article more. I was interested in your first discussion question because it is an important question to consider although I feel there is no one true answer. The article “Feminist Killjoys” points out many different ideas about black feminists and the reaction people can have when they begin to speak their minds or even show their appearance. We as women need to fight together with feminism, not separately. I believe a reason for this rejection would be the lack of knowledge and appreciation for differences between women about race. Yes, it is important for all feminists to want similar things when trying to achieve justice, just like this quote states, “becoming a feminist might mean becoming aware of just how much there is to be unhappy about.” This could be relevant to all feminists black or white, but all new ideas should be brought to the table by anyone that wants to speak out and should be heard.
Hey Emily! I really enjoyed reading your blog post, especially your elucidation of the “angry black women” stereotype. While reading Sara Ahmed’s “Feminist Killjoys And Other Willful Subjects”, I keep wondering: Are we [Black women] the original feminist killjoys? And the answer is yes! As you pointed out, the figure of the feminsit killjoy attributes to the tension that perhaps a person of color may bring to the movement as Ahmed explains in her article. The feminist movement addressed one form of oppression while simultaneously ignoring the racism that women of color face.
This one-dimensional form of feminism known as ‘white feminism’. The problem with white feminism is not that it fights for equality, but that it is not intersectional when fighting for that equality. Thus, creating a sense of hypocrisy as it is not inclusive and equitable. Part of the problem with white feminism and its Western-ethnocentric ideology is that it lacks the acknowledgment of the different levels of class and culture that exists amongst women of color. This categories women of color to be under one huge problem— the problem or oppression white feminists believe they [women of color] live under. While white women were rallying for their freedom, women of color were fighting for their survival. White feminism always lacked coalition and thus always perpetuated oppression. It was just took on a new face of oppression.