By Dr. Karsonya Wise Whitehead
It’s disheartening to see that despite all the conversations and efforts to combat racism and sexism in America, these issues still exist. As a Black woman, I’m tired of constantly having to defend myself and explain why white fragility is a product of white supremacy, toxic masculinity, and white tears.
I was reminded of this exhaustion during the NCAA women’s championship basketball game on April 2. I’ve been following Angel Reese and the LSU team since the start of the tournament, and I love the way they play the game.
They’re talented, emotional, and not afraid to trash talk. It reminds me of watching male players like Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Dennis Rodman, and Reggie Miller, who were dominant on the court and unapologetically themselves.
But when it comes to female athletes, especially Black female athletes, there are always rules and limitations. We’re not allowed to be as passionate or expressive as male athletes, and we’re constantly reminded to stay within tight racial and gendered guidelines.
This is what Sweet Honey in the Rock meant when they sang, “You can steal my tongue – go on and try to hush my song / My scream of freedom will flood the air of your children centuries unborn.” We’ve seen this in Serena Williams, Assata Shakur, Angela Davis, and now Angel Reese.
When people criticize Angel Reese for her behavior on the court, while applauding white player Caitlin Clark for doing the same things, it’s clear that misogyny and racism are at play. This intersection of misogyny and racism is called misogynoir, and it’s exhausting to see it constantly in action.
Angel Reese is unapologetically Black and herself, and she shouldn’t have to defend herself against critics who want her to stay silent because of her race and gender. We must stand with her and speak out against this type of injustice.
When they try to cut out our tongues and silence our songs, we must use our voices to dismantle their houses and shut down their games. We’re at war again, and this time, we won’t back down.
Dr. Kaye Karsonya Wise Whitehead is the founding director of the Karson Institute for Race, Peace, and Social Justice at Loyola University Maryland and the 2021 Edward R. Murrow Regional Award-winning radio host of “Today With Dr. Kaye” on WEAA 88.9 FM. She is the author of Bending Toward Social Justice. The upcoming book “my mother’s tomorrow: dispatches from inside Baltimore’s Black Butterfly” is written by her.