Michelle Obama, the former first lady, talked openly about the psychological harm and internalized stress that Black women experience, stating that she is “probably less light than many of [her] white female friends.”
She discussed the stereotype of the “angry Black woman” and how it frequently reflects larger social concerns of anger, identity, and emotional control in remarks she made during a discussion about mental health and the burden of silence.”
As Black women, the first thing they think we’re is angry,” she remarked. I am definitely lighter than many of my white female acquaintances, which is ironic.
Obama addressed the stereotype that Black women are naturally irate, emphasizing the generational Black family norm of emotional repression. In reference to the quiet fortitude inherited from her mother and grandmothers, she remarked, “You’ve never heard these women complain because it was just the way life was.” Black women, she continued, seldom express their suffering because “nobody ever gave us permission to do that.”
The lack of obvious mental health help in Black communities was another topic of discussion. “When we looked at the numbers, we found that only about 7% of the psychiatrists, therapists, and clinicians were of color,” Obama said. Our kids don’t know how to pursue this line of work. Actress Taraji P. Henson mentioned the dearth of Black clinicians throughout the conversation as she discussed her personal difficulties in finding mental health care for both herself and her children.
“That’s when I launched the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in honor of my father,” she said. As she reflected on her struggles to help her kid deal with the loss of family members, Henson discussed the value of having therapists who looked like them. Obama also talked about how the “angry Black woman” stereotype was further strengthened by public scrutiny during Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.
Michelle Obama calls “angry black woman” label unfair, then says she’s angrier than white friends.
Always race with her!
Complaining as ex-FLOTUS? Like my dogs whining they’re not spoiled enough.
Worst First Lady ever！pic.twitter.com/3XZIbHl7ew
— SpeedySMM (@speedysmm) April 24, 2025
“The first thing that some female journalist said is that I was bitter,” she recalled. “I was emasculating him just by sort of trying to tell the truth about what life is, right?” She compared her experience with that of her white friends. “I see a lightness and ability to be in the world and see what’s going on, but still not as burdened about it as I think I am,” she said. “What I see happen in the news… the inequality… I think it burns at me in a different way.”
“As Black women, sometimes we… there is that underlying thing we’re socialized to believe from very early on that we don’t deserve any better,” Obama explained. She thought back to her own childhood, when adversity was just expected. She connected this expectation to a more general emotional fortitude in Black communities by saying, “I grew up just expecting it, you know, I did.”
Michelle Obama rips the notion that black women are “angry” before admitting that she is angrier than her white friends. https://t.co/icSRz5plW4
— omoge Blogtv (@omogemue) April 23, 2025
Obama talked freely about her family’s hardships. She mentioned that despite living in a small apartment with only one income, her mother sacrificed a lot to stay at home with her and her brother. We barely make ends meet while living in a tiny apartment. However, she noted that was an uncommon occurrence. She noted that although the women in her family put in a lot of work, they hardly ever talked about their difficulties.
“You’ve never heard these women complain because it was just the way life was,” Obama said. “When you make stuff look easy, people assume that you must like this.” The difficulty of expressing suffering was another topic of discussion. “We don’t articulate as Black women our pain because it’s almost like nobody ever gave us permission to do that,” she said.
