Rebecca Smith

THTR 4021

S. Walsh

25 October 2019

Discussion Expert #2

In Eloquent Rage, Brittney Cooper discusses the idea of “rage” and what it means to be

angry as a black woman. She talks about how although a black woman has so many valid reasons

to be angry, her anger is not viewed as valid; it is viewed as irrational and she is forced into the

stereotypes of being an angry or sassy black woman. She wrote that she was initially defensive

of using the word “angry” when describing herself until a former student told her that her

lectures were “filled with rage. But it was, like, the most eloquent rage ever” (Cooper 3). She

then realized that her anger, that she felt so rightfully navigating through the world as a black

woman, was a powerful force that could be used for good, leaving behind the negative

connotation and surface-level stereotype it so often implies. In an interview titled “Harnessing

the Power of the Angry Black Woman”, in which she discusses her book, Cooper reiterates this

by stating: “Part of what I’m trying to get at is that black women are never only angry. We can

be angry and at the same time be joyous, at the same time be sad, at the same time be deeply in

love or be heartbroken. So rage for me becomes the ground zero for the reclamation of black

women’s full emotional lives” (NPR). Throughout her book, Cooper describes her complicated

relationship with white women which started when she was very young – she was surrounded by

them, was close friends with many, and even related to the books she read and shows she

watched that were purely focused on them. But things got more complicated as cracks began to
show and racism started to shine through. She also touches on experiencing sexism on a large

scale for the first time while attending a historically black university.

Lizzo’s interview with NPR touched on what inspired some of her most popular songs,

her childhood and upbringing, her classical flute training, the music she listened to growing up,

her experience with bullying in school, and being the face of a new body positive movement. She

also had a conversation with the interviewer about posing nude being empowerment or

objectification – which relates back to the discussions we had in class about the male gaze, about

different kinds of feminisms throughout the years and about whether performance artists like

Karen Finley, etc. are actually being “feminist” by using their naked bodies to make a statement.

Cooper’s discussion of her interactions with people throughout her life related to our

discussion in class on the importance of intersectionality – specifically the importance of

supporting black women’s multiple identities. Plenty of the white women she encountered (and

was even friends with) would probably call themselves feminists, yet were racist at the same

time. The black men in her life would stand up for the black community, yet were sexist. She

states that “black feminism taught [her] that in the battle with white women over racism and

black men over sexism, [she] can never go wrong in picking [her]self” (Cooper 67). Ultimately,

she describes all of these experiences as a “mixed bag”, and notes that she can support and love

women who do have racist tendencies while acknowledging that they’re there, and same with the

men in her life with sexist tendencies.

Three questions to consider based on these readings:

1. Is there a “correct” way to navigate the thin line between a woman’s body being empowering

and a woman’s body being objectified? How do different generations/waves of feminism play

into this?
2. Cooper’s notes that the TV shows which focus on white people’s experiences are regarded as

“universal.” How does this relate to the discussion of colorblind casting we previously discussed

(i.e. whiteness as a default)?

3. How does Cooper’s experience with so many friends and family members who are racist and

sexist relate to the idea of “responding, not reacting”?

Works Cited
Cooper, Brittney C. Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower. Picador, 2019.

Gross, Terry. “Lizzo On Feminism, Self-Love And Bringing 'Hallelujah Moments' To Stage.”

NPR, NPR, 23 May 2019,

www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=725704911.

“Harnessing The Power Of 'The Angry Black Woman'.” NPR, NPR, 24 Feb. 2019,

www.npr.org/2019/02/24/689925868/harnessing-the-power-of-the-angry-black-woman.