The Sassy African American Woman

African American women have been known to have "attitude problems" or have no problem getting "in your face." Examples are evident from the rappers of today (ie. Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, Eve, Salt N' Pepa, and Queen Latifah) who are knownto tell men (or women) in their music what they can do for them and how they can do it.

The African American woman is known to be strong, resilient, and confident, regardless of the portrayals of her in the media and in songs of her being a "hoochie," "video ho," or "bitch." But while some may believe that this is inherent in the black woman, research has shown that this "attitude," also known as "sass," is actually a learned confidence; the result of teachings of how to feel about oneself. Joni L. Jones and Teri L. Varner explain sass as one of three communication strategies that they mention are used by Pearl Cleage to portray African American women in her plays. I want to look at this specific communication strategy in terms of how African American women are brought up in society, how it plays a role in black feminism, and how it is incorporated into other forms of artistic expression.

According to Jones and Varner (2002), "Dramatic texts provide an opportunity to view communication in a distilled form" which is why they chose to view the communication strategies of African American women on stage versus in society (p. 145). It is a way to look at reality without the "nonfluencies and incomplete ideas" (p. 146). In their look at Cleage's plays, Jones and Varner saw three communication strategies that stood out among others as being used by the African American women. Those three strategies were sass, silence and support. Because my focus is on sass, I will first discuss the two communication strategies, then come back to the concept of sass.

Silence, according to Jones and Varner, can be used in many ways. The researchers say that silence "can be used as a passive-aggressive to refuse compliance with oppression" or, it can also be "a way of protecting the self from the horrors we witness," however, it is not limited to these uses (Jones and Varner, 2002, p. 148). It appears that the researchers see silence as a way of making a statement without verbally making that statement. It is a form of symbolism.

The second strategy, support is actually the stepping-stone toward sass that I want to argue in this paper. According to Jones and Varner (2002), support is a "communication designed to help others, and communication that aids in helping the self" (p. 150). Both forms of support are important for the African American woman, but the form I will focus on in this essay is the support from others. The researchers explain that "Communication that helps others is characterized by the loving gift of woman truths, those lessons that cover all manner of information including issues of health, etiquette, gender performance, childrearing, personal style, interpersonal relationships," etc (Jones and Varner, 2002, p. 150). There is a sense of caring and belonging that helps the child evolve into an adult who is also able to care for, rear and continue to be reared. This support is especially evident in the home. According to Hill-Collins (2002), "African American mothers often try to protect their daughters from the dangers that lie ahead by offering them a unique sense of self-worth" (p. 186). This upbringing is arguably how African American women can develop the last communication strategy known as sass.

Sass, according to Jones and Varner (2002), is " 'back talking,' 'smart mouthing,' 'womanish' commentary designed to attach an other, protect the self and/or demonstrate verbal agility" (p. 147). Black women have famously been known to use this sass against others, especially the media. For example, Florence, the maid on the television show The Jeffersons, could have been described as sassy because she was not afraid to speak her mind to her own supervisors. However, George Jefferson, her male supervisor, described her as having an attitude problem, which goes back to the misconception that African American women often inherently have attitude problems. Jones and Varner explained, however, "Sass is a way of having voice when other means are not available. Because women have generally been socialized against defending themselves physically, verbal defense mechanisms become essential" (p. 147). Therefore, African American women have been socialized into this strategy of communication for protection.

This sass is evident in the Black Feminism of today. Whether called Black Feminism or Womanism, the African American women's movement of empowerment is ongoing and sassy as ever. African American women have used their sass for centuries to advance as a culture, despite oppression from the dominant culture. They have had to be aggressive in order to make the same accomplishments that others have obtained more easily. For example, Margaret Walker Alexander described her struggles to achieve success in academia, an obstacle that stuck with her for many decades. According to Alexander (1995), "my teaching career has been fraught with conflict, insults, humiliations, and disappointments (p. 456). She was constantly ridiculed by her peers and supervisors, and in one situation, was asked to resign from her position, not because she wasn't a good employee, but because she was a black woman. Unable to respond in any other way, she used verbal agility to protect herself by stating, " 'Why should I resign a job that I have done well every day for thirteen years and that I like? You fire me!'" (p. 458). Because she was talking to her "superior" her action might have been viewed as back-talking, but she used her sassiness to prove the point that she did have power, no matter what anyone else thought. Her sassiness showed that no matter what obstacles she faced, she was not going to turn her back on her obligations to herself and her family.

Examples of sassiness also show up in literary expression. Barbara Neely's book entitled, Blanche Among the Talented Tenth, showed examples of how sassiness is often times a part of the African American woman's life. The irony of the book was that many of the African American women portrayed were not sassy because they had been socialized at their resort not to do so. Blanche, who was socialized otherwise, was shocked to see that these women responded in a meek fashion. In a conversation with Mattie, a companion she met at the resort, Blanche remarked at the difference between their norms and hers in reference to sass and verbal agility when accepting verbal abuse from a woman who had just died the day before. " 'What I don't understand is why ya'll put up with her mess ... In my neighborhood, Miss Faith would probably have gotten the cussing out of a lifetime, if not worse'" (Neely, 1994, p. 45).

From the examples I have provided, I have set out to show that African American women have been misunderstood. However, the works of Jones and Varner, along with other Black Feminists, can work to redefine those misconceptions. As time evolves and more African American women speak on behalf of those of us who don't have a voice, we will be able to change the misconceptions and continue to define ourselves for ourselves.

References

Alexander, M. W. (1995). Black women in academia. Words of fire: An anthology of african-american feminist thought. New York: New York Press.

Davis, A. Y. (1998). Blues legacies and black feminism. New York: Vintage Books.

Jones, J. L. and Varner, T. L. (2002). Take care of your sisters: Communication among women in the works of pearl cleage. Centering ourselves: African American feminist and womanist studies of discourse. Creskill, New Jersey: Hampton Press, Inc.

Neely, B. (1994). Blanche among the talented tenth. Newark, New Jersey: Penguin Books Inc.