“Anger as A Spark”: An Investigation of Anger as an Act of Resilient Self-Love For Black Women at Elite Predominantly White Institutions in the 21st Century

Abstract

This paper investigates the anger felt by Black women at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) as a source of knowledge and a catalyst for change. This investigation analyzes anger’s relationship with self-love and argues that anger for Black women at PWIs is an act of resilient self-love, self-love that motivates anger to be expressed in the face of oppressive norms even if social change does not result from anger’s expression. As Black women in the 21st century focus on their wellbeing at institutions that thrive on their service or ability to produce, they are angry and rightfully so. Anger, a socially and historically restricted emotion for Black women, denotes their social value, their worth. By expressing, mastering, and acknowledging feelings like anger, in spite of societal pressure, Black women are able to do otherwise, imagine otherwise, create otherwise, and value themselves otherwise. By tapping into the power of emotional wellbeing, imagination, and their ancestry, Black women are able to resiliently express love for themselves through anger. Given this resilient self-love and the productivity of anger, this thesis investigates anger and self-love as more than just responses to egregious acts. Beyond social change, studying anger and its impact on Black women as individuals allows us to better understand how they find joy and community in institutions that rely on their labor all while disregarding their boundaries. This investigation of the impact of anger on the individual illuminates Black women as knowledge producers and change makers. All in all, this thesis outlines important insights that lie at the intersection of anger and self-love for Black women at PWIs, such as disregard, belonging, and boundaries.