How I am Strong and Unloved, Needed and Neglected: A Black Feminist Understanding of the Concept of “Double Consciousness”

African American women are hounded by mythologies that posit them as hyper-sexual and irrationally angry. However, they are simultaneously seen as embodying unearthly strength that makes them capable of dealing with life’s hardships. This creates a dichotomous reality for African American women in that they are degraded and viewed as less than and yet expected to be strong enough, capable enough, and selfless enough to assist others at the expense of themselves. This creates a gendered form of W.E.B. Du Bois’s concept of double consciousness. She is aware that while she is expected to embody strength, she will not be celebrated for it in a manner that is affirming of her personhood. Using critical race theory and more specifically, black feminist theory, my paper will examine the impact of the dichotomy created by racialized stereotypes directed at black women