Black Women Deliberately Misunderstood and the Penalty for Defending Ourselves

Black women cannot go to work in peace, not even in the WNBA. What we are seeing presently with Angel Reese is an example of that. We are constantly met with microaggressions, harsh scrutiny, penalization for defending ourselves, and the weight of both harmful and persistent bias — all while carrying the emotional toll, facing double standards, and often standing alone in the fight to be seen and respected. This isn’t just a WNBA issue; this is a worldwide issue that Black women are constantly up against. 

Even I can personally relate to being harmfully attacked while doing the work that I’m passionate about and also standing up for injustices. I am a licensed social worker with over 12 years of experience. In my 12th year of experience, I was wrongfully persecuted and treated unfairly — not for misconduct or because I caused harm, but because I challenged the dysfunction and refused to stay silent about the negligence, mistreatment, and systemic failures that put both staff and those we serve at risk. And just to be clear, advocating is exactly what social workers do. I am not taking this as an opportunity to speak on that issue; I want us to look at a collective issue that is happening more and more every day. We are seeing it happen on national television often, and the public’s response echoes that truth: that Black women are forever in a space of “we’re damned if we do and we’re damned if we don’t”.

When Black women speak up, have a human emotional reaction, or simply protect ourselves in the ways that we deem necessary, then we are met with the expectation to be composed and calm. We see this illustrated with two star WNBA players, whom the public has created a rivalry between, despite there being no clear indication of any actual issues between them. In the most recent encounter, one has been praised for “walking off,” while the other has been demonized and accused of having “overreacted”. 

During the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever’s WNBA season opener, things got heated on the court when Caitlin Clark fouled Angel Reese, causing Reese to fall to the floor. Angel rose to her feet within seconds to confront the behavior that occurred. Since then, people have made assumptions about Angel Reese, suggesting that her response was unnecessary and driven by hate or jealousy toward her opponent, while her white competitor has yet to endure any backlash or criticism. 

Meanwhile, no one is talking about the actual incident — only Angel’s response to it. This reminds me of a thread I recently posted where I stated, “One thing you all are not about to do is attack Angel Reese all season”. To put it plainly, Angel Reese is the kind of Black woman this world loves to hate – she’s intelligent,business-savvy, incredibly confident, versatile, unapologetically authentic, and a jaw dropping beauty. She is limitless, unbound, and stands firm in her unshakable boundaries. This alone makes Angel Reese a target and not because of any true character flaws, but because she’s a bold and brazen Black woman. Too often, we are reduced by the narrow lens of prejudice, leaving us in a daily fight to let our true light shine.

I also want to highlight that many sports analysts and experts have stated there was nothing wrong with the foul or the overall play, so why is Angel’s response the main issue? Why does she have to be dragged, demeaned, and expected to respond differently?

The media has a critical responsibility to actively challenge and dismantle the harmful narratives that perpetuate negative stereotypes about Black women, particularly the “angry Black woman” trope. Using words like “charging” to describe Angel Reese’s response during this play is not just misleading, it’s a deliberate attempt to frame her actions in an unjustly aggressive light. Suggesting she harbors “growing hate” toward Caitlin Clark, which was suggested by Robert Griffin III also known as RGIII,  or labeling her reaction as “explosive” distorts the truth and diverts attention from what actually happened. This situation could have been handled differently and framed more accurately as Angel Reese simply questioning Caitlin’s intentions in the heat of the moment, or, more plainly, responding to the foul that just occurred. Instead, the narrative shifts to focus on Reese’s emotions, criminalizing her reaction instead of addressing what really happened: a moment of frustration after an aggressive play.

If this is any indication of what Angel Reese can expect this WNBA season, then we’re in for a tough road ahead. Many Black women will see our own experiences reflected in hers: the covert discrimination we live through daily, being deliberately misunderstood, the double standards that refuse to die, and the manipulation by powerful forces. And by “powerful forces,” I mean the media outlets that choose inflammatory headlines, the commentators who inject bias into their analysis, and the narratives that amplify harmful public perceptions to cast Black women as aggressors rather than competitors.

We can applaud Black men and former athletes like Ryan Clark who defended Angel Reese, and even the WNBA for their new task force and their newest platform, “No Space for Hate,” which was revealed earlier this month and is designed to address matters such as fans verbally assaulting Angel Reese during her free throw shots following the foul incident and immediately putting it under investigation. These responses show that we are not going to stand for this, but they also confirm that there is a larger issue at hand—one that many want to continue to ignore. If there was a task force created to respond to hate and if people are having to defend the bias and attacks on a specific player due to her response, then we have to acknowledge that hate is present and it still exists.

What transpired between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark, which currently has the headlines buzzing, isn’t just an isolated incident; it is a continued reflection of the larger, systemic struggles Black women face on a regular basis. Many would expect a call to action as I conclude this article, but the truth is, what do we do as these challenges continue to rise? How do we truly stay empowered and support each other through this rise of adversity? While we can be grateful for the acknowledgments that work to address the need for racial justice, respect, and equality, do we still hold our breath as we prepare for more hate to come rushing in like a flood?

This piece is an opinion article written for Women for the Culture. We fully support and stand by the author’s perspective as it reflects the lived experiences and truths of many Black women.