Doomed If You Speak Up, Doomed If You Dont

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Well, it seems, that in many arenas, simply speaking your mind wins you a raggedy crown for Miss Angry Black Woman USA. And yet another nod to the nonsense came as the First Lady made top news today.

Michelle Obama became a hot topic, not for the eloquent words of encouragement and graceful dignity she’s known for, but for refusing to compete with a heckler at a fundraiser event and threatening to leave if the heckler wouldn’t be quiet .

The incident sparked major debate on the Web about whether Obama responded to the heckler in the appropriate manner, with fears and mentions of that age-old phrase “angry black woman” showing up somewhere in there. (And this isn’t the first time this phrase has been uttered in connection to the First Lady.)

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Though Obama received support for her response from event attendees and advocates on the Web, many professional women of color still face the backlash of a label that needs to be put to bed. In 2014, that tired prevalent notion that any time a black woman speaks up—and it’s not to coddle, coo or sweet talk—she’s “angry” or “aggressive” is getting old.

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image credit: people

Read More: http://www.blackenterprise.com/career/heckler-michelle-obama-angry-black-woman-stereotype/

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