Melissa V. Harris-Perry

From my Cannonball Read VI review...

Melissa Harris-Perry hosts a show on MSNBC on the weekends. She’s known for having actual people on the show to discuss news stories that impact them – she doesn’t invite six old white men on to discuss whether birth control should be covered under the Affordable Care Act. If she’s talking about an issue, she seeks to invite people on who KNOW about the topic, and who, if possible, are affected by the topic.

So it makes sense that she would want to write a book about how Black women are (mis)recognized in the United States, using focus groups, real-world examples, and references in literature and popular culture. Sister Citizen is a deep look into how Black women have faced the intersection of race and gender living in the United States. Using the concept of trying to stand up straight in a ‘crooked room,’ she talks through many of the different ways Black women are pigeon-holed into stereotypes, negative images, or ideas that support the White concept of what Black women should be. US society perpetuates negative and destructive images of Black woman, and Dr. Harris-Perry’s book delves into the origins and how Black women deal with this.

As expected by a professor she makes well-researched, strong arguments about the ways in which these stereotypes impact how Black women are viewed by others and how they view themselves. It’s challenging to write more about this because, well, she’s already written it well, and I don’t think there’s much that I could presume to add. All I can really do is recommend it highly.… (meer)

Harris-Perry focuses on the lived experiences of African-American women, including discrimination, stereotyping (both negative and “positive” with the strong black woman trope), and religion. She argues that the “strong black woman” idea, while it does provide women with a source of self-worth, also makes it more difficult for African-American women to seek help from the community and the polity. Understanding the complex circumstances in which African-American women negotiate their existences, their relationship to African-American men, and their political/religious commitments, she argues, is key to understanding American life.… (meer)

A moving, beautifully written, carefully argued, far-ranging examination of the stereotypes that shape and constrict the lives of Black American women. I loved the particular mix of examples Harris-Perry chose to build her arguments, from literature to journalism to historical events to focus groups. I felt guided through some very tough territory by this thoughtful author. She gave me confidence to expand my thinking and to recognize the ways cultural stereotypes have misshaped my beliefs. Some of the hardest passages to read were about the differences in response to the Katrina disaster, depending on the race of the respondent. Even more hard to think about perhaps were the many instances Harris-Perry cites of Black women accepting limiting and hateful cultural stereotypes of themselves, either when judging themselves, or when judging other Black women. Even though a lot of what is written here is hard to take in, this is a hopeful book, one that gave me a lot to keep thinking about.… (meer)