Is Hollywood's Sassy Black Lady Stereotype a Bad Thing?

The Atlantic published an excellent article surrounding Oprah Winfrey's Oscar worthy performance in Lee Daniel's The Butler. The Article examines if a much deserved win for Oprah would be another testament to the fact that Hollywood only acknowledges black women in sassy, tell-it-like-it-is roles.

News flash: Hollywood needs to diversify its attempts at diversity. No surprise there. While I do think the characters that have gained notoriety, such as The Help's Minnie Mae and Jennifer Hudson's Effie, are somewhat similar, I do have to say I appreciate the acknowledgement because they remind me of the women who raised me.

Those women were the ones who made me feel like, despite the challenges,  being Brown and Female was the thing to be and I'm eternally grateful.

Yes, I'd like to see more modern roles emerge for black women in Hollywood, but let us not underestimate the power of black feminine savvy, otherwise known as sass.

All we have to do is think back to a few weeks ago when Antoinette Tuff, a school worker in Georgia, saved the lives of thousands of students by employing what could be interpreted as empathetic sass to bring a gunman back from the brink of disaster.

I wouldn't call what she did on that distress call the embodiment of a sassy black woman stereotype. I'd call it the prototype for how we need to pattern ourselves moving forward: aware, empathetic, intuitive, and supportive.

When the Antoinette Tuff story is filmed, I hope the actress in the leading role wins an Oscar and gives a sassy speech to boot.

Signed,

One Sassy Brown Mommy