New York Times: Retract the "angry Black women" rant on Shonda Rhimes
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New York Times: Retract the "angry Black women" rant on Shonda Rhimes
An outrageous New York Times op-ed by Alessandra Stanley dismisses both Shonda Rhimes and her many fascinating and complex Black women characters as simply “angry Black women.”
From the op-ed’s opening line -- “When Shonda Rhimes writes her autobiography, it should be called ‘How to Get Away With Being an Angry Black Woman” -- Stanley wildly misreads the heroines at the center of much of Rhimes’ work, and arbitrarily judges their adherence to white beauty standards.
Research shows there are dire consequences for Black people when such harmful archetypes rule the day. And with so few Black women both onscreen or behind the scenes in Hollywood, high profile, dehumanizing misinterpretations of their work cannot be tolerated.
Stand with us and demand an apology from the New York Times and Alessandra Stanley, and a retraction of her harmful op-ed.
This is the letter we'll send to the New York Times on your behalf. Feel free to leave a personal comment in the space provided.
Dear New York Times,
Alessandra Stanley's recent op-ed "Wrought in their Creator's Image: Viola Davis plays Shonda Rhimes' latest heroine" dismisses both Shonda Rhimes and her many fascinating and complex Black women characters as simply “angry Black women,” and offensively judges their adherence to white beauty standards.
With so few high profile Black women onscreen or behind the scenes in Hollywood, Stanley's perpetuation of these harmful stereotypes is no laughing matter at all. Research shows there are dire consequences for Black people when such harmful archetypes rule the day; less attention from doctor’s, harsher sentences from judges, and discriminatory hiring practices, just to name a few.
It is unaccebtable for your publication to disseminate such dangerous rhetoric. The article never should have been printed in the first place.
We demand an apology from your publication, as well as Alessandra Stanley, and the immediate retraction of her piece.
Sincerely,
{your name}