Angela Bassett, The Oscars, & The Policing of Black Women's Emotions

Laqwanda Roberts-Buckley, MSSW

Executive Director/ Chief Programming & Strategy Officer

How dare Angela Bassett! She could have clapped, smiled or something. Sure, she didn’t win. We are not going to win every time. But this is her profession she should have clapped or stood up. She was so unprofessional. That’s why no one can be happy for black folks cuz we don’t be happy for other people. 
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The statements above are only part of the bullcrap I have heard or read about Angela Bassett’s response at the Oscars on Sunday. To be honest, I am completely disgusted but I am also tired. I am 100% tired of the expectation that a Black Woman has to be “on” at all times. We are expected to smile when we are in pain. We are expected to support after being persecuted. We are expected to be present after we have been abandoned. We are expected to hold our heads up high even though there might be someone pushing our head down trying to drown us.

The Black Woman is expected to be everything to everyone almost to the point that we discard our own humanity. In a moment of great disappointment, one of the greatest and diverse Actresses could not act. She chose to sit in silence and allow the world to see a glimpse of her disappointment. She allowed us to see a moment of HER. 

The policing of the Black Woman’s emotions means that we don’t get the grace to experience moments of sadness or disappointment in public. A Black Woman taking a moment for herself in a room full of her peers is expected to jump for joy or at least perform, right? That’s what people wanted Angela Bassett to do. They wanted her to perform like the great amazing Oscar award winning Actress that she already is.
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Why could she not give them one more show? Why must the Black Woman not confirm emotionally and act properly the way society expects her to act after disappointment? Why must she show her humanity? Who told Angela Bassett that the Black Woman gets to do that?

As a Black Women watching a Black Woman, Angela Bassett showed me on the biggest night in the movie industry that Black Women are allowed to FEEL without any explanation to anyone else. We get to take moments to and for ourselves in rooms filled with people and experience our emotions. Because it is 100% for okay a Black Woman to NOT pretend like everything is always okay.   

Laqwanda Roberts-Buckley, MSSW

​With over 17 years of experience in the field of mental health, Laqwanda Roberts-Buckley is the Executive Director/Chief Program & Strategy Officer for Healing Black Women, Inc She is a Reiki Master, Certified Life Coach, and holds a Master of Science in Social Work. She has served in positions such as Coordinator of Diverse Students’ Mental Health and Wellness for a university, Director of Outreach for the national office of Mental Health America, Therapist, and on the Board of Directors for NAMI Northern Virginia as well as RPSV, Inc. She is an established public speaker/mental health advocate and has collaborated with organizations such as Human Rights Campaign and Eventbrite. She utilizes her personal experiences as a suicide attempt survivor and individual who manages Bipolar I Disorder and PTSD to promote mental & holistic wellness.