Due: 10/9/18
Reading paper #2
Keep Your “N” in Check
The article I am choosing to write about is Keep Your “N” in Check: African American
Women and the Interactive Effects of Etiquette and Emotional Labor by Marlese Durr and Adia
M. Harvey Wingfield. Durr and Wingfield focuses on the stereotypical attitudes placed on the
Black women in society and in the workplace. They start by examining our first lady Michelle
Obama and how she was often perceived to be too “aggressive and pushy.” They noted how the
intersections of gender and race created a unique situation for Mrs. Obama because the
stereotypes surrounding her was centered on her being an “angry Black woman.” Durr and
Wingfield goes into the idea of the Black woman’s inherent lack of femininity and worth
portrayed within our society.
Being that I am both Black and a Woman in American I was able to relate to many
situations discussed within this article. I have been raised to always say how I feel and that I
should never let anyone stop me from speaking my truth. However, once I entered school I found
myself constantly in trouble for believing in my first amendment right of freedom of speech;
though I soon realized that in this world there are only certain moments, and places that I can
express myself freely without persecution.
