The bell rang, signaling recess was over. Everyone was in utter chaos, running around trying to catch the last breath of fresh air before we had to return to our studies. We could tell that our teacher was visibly upset because we did not line up in time.
As we entered the classroom and sat at our respective desks, the sister began to lecture the class on obedience and discipline. Midway through the lecture, she singled me out and stated, “Get out of my class. I am so sick and tired of you.” I remember standing in the hall and pondering what I could have possibly done to disrespect her.
She came out of the classroom and said, “Your face and body language are out of control.” I was very confused as to what she meant. Because of this interaction, I received a “B” in conduct, which prevented me from making “A” honor roll. I was in the fifth grade and learned that my brown female body would be under attack and a site for individuals to seek control of for years to come.
Throughout the years, I have heard comments about how I need to control my “emotions” because they are “too expressive,” “offensive” and “disrespectful.” Historical amnesia has stricken the United States regarding the carceral state and women-of-color bodies as objects to be controlled.
Andrea Ritchie, in Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color, writes, “White supremacy demands such complete control of Black women and women of color that it takes very little to perceive us as out of control.” Ritchie provides a historical and contemporary analysis of slavery patrols up to current police practices to map how Black and other women-of-color bodies endure sexual violence and abuse and are treated as property to control.
She is not alone in the academic game to do so. Dorothy Roberts, in Killing the Black Body, and Laura Briggs in Reproducing Empire: Race, Sex, Science, and U.S. Imperialism in Puerto Rico, expose rape, reproductive rights and forced sterilization at the hands of the United States government. There is so much work to be done pertaining to why our lives are not considered of value.
Despite these harsh realities, there are women of color not holding back. Angela Rye, lawyer and political commentator, and Cardi B, rap artist and entrepreneur, have undergone public scrutiny for being authentically and unapologetically themselves.
