Source: Matt Winkelmeyer/2021 MTV Movie and TV Awards / Getty
Being labeled an “angry Black woman” is an unfortunate microaggression that Black women have been experiencing for decades when they enter white spaces. If you watch Real Housewives of New York, then you witnessed newcomer Eboni K. Williams receive this label during a dispute with co-star Luann de Lesseps.
During an appearance on The View, Rachel Lindsay, who was the first Black Bachelorette to join The Bachelor franchise, shared her own experience with being labeled an “angry Black woman.”
“In my season finale of The Bachelorette when I was sitting on stage with my runner up, my runner up told me that I was going to live a mediocre life if I didn’t choose him and my response to him was, ‘Actually I’m living my best life,’” Lindsay said about the heated exchange with Peter Kraus.
Lindsay said that after that conversation, she didn’t like what host Chris Harrison had to say.
“When I came back from commercial break, the host [Chris Harrison] said to me, ‘Rachel, you seem angry.’ I looked and I said, ‘That’s a strong word.’ And he said, ‘Well, you seem upset.’ I hadn’t raised my voice, I hadn’t yelled, I hadn’t said any type of curse word.”
She said that Kraus approached her again and told her that he felt that she “attacked him.” When she asked why he felt attacked he replied, “Well, I really don’t have anything to say to that.”
“From that moment on, four years ago, I’ve been labeled an ‘angry Black female’ in Bachelor Nation. It still carries and follows me around to this day,” Lindsay said. “So, I can relate to Eboni and I’m proud that she was standing up for herself at that moment. I think it’s so important that we talk about these things. If in 2020 we were supposed to be having these types of conversations, we need to address microaggressions that are placed on Black women to address these racial stereotypes.”
Lindsay announced back in February on her “Higher Learning” podcast that she was leaving The Bachelor franchise due to the show frequently being involved in racial controversy and the show’s lack of diversity.
