One stereotype that Im seeing increasingly often in the media nowadays is that of

the Sapphire, otherwise known as the "angry black woman". The Sapphire
stereotype occurs when African American women are portrayed as being
predominantly irate, snarky, cold, vulgar, and impolite. While I acknowledge that irate
and rude women of color do exist, Id like to draw attention to the fact that the media
seems to be taking the image of those few women, and painting the rest of African
American women with the same broad brush. One of my best friends, Cahlia,
happens to be African American, and she is one of the warmest, friendliest, most
polite, and well-spoken people that Ive ever had the pleasure of knowing. As a
person, she is - in essence - the polar opposite of the Sapphire stereotype. She had a
lot of insightful things to say about the recent shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, and I
was upset to see that some people were refusing to listen to what she had to say,
and dismissed her as just another angry black woman, and she isnt the only one.
Today, many women of color seem to be forced to face this stereotype head-on,
whenever they speak up on an issue that they are passionate about - particularly if
they say it like they mean it. On the surface, it might not seem like a big deal, but
make no mistake - the Sapphire stereotype has the potential to be very dangerous. If
growing African American women see that they are dismissed as angry whenever
they speak their minds, they might be dissuaded from voicing their thoughts and
feelings at all, which would allow their oppression to expand.