black women have two options as a means of response: 1. Suck it up, or 2. Hulk-smash everything because the mistreatment is only happening because the person(s) refuses to see black women as humans—and more than anything, we just want to be seen. But if we Hulk-smash, then we’re forever known as the angry black woman, who is to be avoided at all costs or placated with a “there, there” tone that’s used on Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan. Who wants option two? So, the answer to the question “Are you an angry black woman?” is no, I am not. And no, that was not an angry denial of my being angry.
