In other words, Black women could not quantify their oppression only in terms of sexism or racism, or of homophobia experienced by Black lesbians. In How We Get Free, the Combahee River Collective (CRC) gave a definition to oppression: “The CRC described oppressions as “interlocking or happening “simultaneously,” thus creating new measures of oppression and inequality. Intersectionality was one of the key terms to help me understand that the oppression of Black women runs a lot deeper than originally anticipated. The definition of intersectionality in How We Get Free is: “…the meaning of intersectionality, the idea that multiple oppressions reinforce the other to create new categories of suffering” (Location 75). The connection I personally made to this quote was from How We Get Free and the term intersectionality. In this quote, Cooper’s wording felt familiar to me: “Feminism can give us a common language for thinking about how sexism, and racism, and classism work together to fuck shit up for everybody” (Cooper 4-5). Rage is valid and rage is important to fuel the progress needed in building this world over time. Ideas spread like wildfire, and the ideas in Eloquent Rage are clearly no exception. Feminism is a foundational pillar to build a better and more understanding world. America has been silent for too long and in hiding what good are the voices that were given to us if we do not use them to speak out? Not to say that people before Cooper have not spoken up, but Cooper puts this in such a way that feels different. Cooper cleverly connects the idea of “homegirl interventions” from her own life to a larger issue at hand: America’s silence. Feminism can give us a common language for thinking about how sexism, and racism, and classism work together to fuck shit up for everybody.” (Cooper 4-5). Black-girl feminism is all the rage, and we need all the rage. My picket signs are as likely to say FUCK THE POLICE as they are to say FUCK THE PATRIARCHY. I’m here for the picket signs, pussy hats (as long as there are plenty of brown ones in the mix), and patchouli. And I’m using feminism to stage this homegirl intervention. I’m calling America out on her bullshit about racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, and a bunch of other stuff. So in this book, I am doing what Black women do best.
In a society where people work hard to keep the cycle of oppression and more going, Cooper calls them out because she understands the importance of using her superpower: “America needs a homegirl intervention in the worst way. Rather, understand the history through the eyes of someone who has, and gain more education on the subject. It’s because I’m not meant to fully comprehend experiences I have not lived. These portrayals have been harmful to Black women for so long in ways I cannot fully comprehend. All too often I see negative portrayals of Black women in films, books, television, and more. We are told we are irrational, crazy, out of touch, entitled, disruptive, and not team players” (Cooper 2). Angry Black Women get dismissed all the time. Cooper discusses why the idea of something as “radical” as owning anger is risky: “Owning anger is a dangerous thing if you’re a fat Black girl like me. There is a tug-of-war between the risk of using rage and being unapologetically angry. I found myself speed reading because I was engrossed. Like Thick: And Other Essays by: Tressie McMillan Cottom, Cooper beautifully and unapologetically writes in her voice. Throughout Eloquent Rage, Cooper claims the superpower she intertwines her life/personal history with Black feminism and the issues in our world that Black women face. At the root of this book is the superpower of “eloquent rage” as Erica, a student that Cooper mentions, called it for the first time. I was fully immersed in the book, thrilled with Cooper’s ability to use her voice to discuss deep rooted issues in Black feminism. While I tried to zone in on main ideas, it was difficult, but for good reason. I also found myself completely highlighting each page and had to stop myself.
Throughout reading Eloquent Rage, I found myself experiencing a roller coaster of emotions. And that’s the place where more women should begin–with the things that make us angry” (Cooper 1). “To be clear, I’m not really into self-help books, so I don’t have one of those catchy three-step plans for changing the world. This edition of Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper is on Amazon Kindle.
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