--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why can't black women on stage tell…" description: "\"Why can't black women on stage tell stories that can affect white men in the audience?\" — Danai Gurira" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/danai-gurira-14419_audience_why-can-t-black-women-on-stage-tell-stor_810404.jpg" --- # Why can't black women on stage tell stories that can… ![“Why can't black women on stage tell stories that can affect white men in the audience?” quote by Danai Gurira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/danai-gurira-14419_audience_why-can-t-black-women-on-stage-tell-stor_810404.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/danai-gurira-14419_audience_why-can-t-black-women-on-stage-tell-stor_810404.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/danai-gurira-14419_audience_why-can-t-black-women-on-stage-tell-stor_810404.jpg) > “Why can't black women on stage tell stories that can affect white men in the audience?” [Danai Gurira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danai-gurira/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote questions why black women’s stories often fail to resonate with white male audiences, highlighting systemic bias in cultural reception. **In simple terms:** Black women’s narratives are often ignored by white men. Key Takeaway Amplify diverse voices for broader impact. Themes race gender media representation Mood critical activist Type social political When to use this quote - theatre productions - film festivals - publishing - education curricula Key Concepts intersectionality cultural bias storytelling Questions to Reflect On - What barriers prevent these stories from reaching wider audiences? - How can platforms ensure equitable representation? A Different Perspective Audience reception is influenced by entrenched power structures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Black women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-women/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Stage Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage-tell-249464/) [Stories Affect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories-affect-249465/) [Tell Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-stories/) [Why](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/why/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) [Women Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-stage-249467/) ## Related quotes > [Lily Tomlin, Judi Dench, Carol Burnett, Linda Emond, Meryl Streep, Janet Mctyre. I saw all these women on stage, and I experienced a feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-shor/lily-tomlin-judi-dench-carol-burnett-linda-emond-meryl-streep-janet/) [Miriam Shor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-shor/) > [There's a general sense that women are more relaxed and less defensive in comedy than they used to be. I think it's easier than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/there-s-a-general-sense-that-women-are-more-relaxed-and-less/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [I like stories that affect families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shepard-smith/i-like-stories-that-affect-families/) [Shepard Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shepard-smith/) > [For me, I want to tell stories that will affect my children in a positive way, that they can be proud of me for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-landon-jr/for-me-i-want-to-tell-stories-that-will-affect-my-children-in-a/) [Michael Landon, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-landon-jr/) > [In hip-hop, I wasn't very focused on delivering a message. It was just a string of lines that didn't connect. What I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aloe-blacc/in-hip-hop-i-wasn-t-very-focused-on-delivering-a-message-it-was-just/) [Aloe Blacc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aloe-blacc/) > [Our stories affect one another whether we know it or not. Sometimes obedience isn't for us at all, but for another. We don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hatmaker/our-stories-affect-one-another-whether-we-know-it-or-not-sometimes/) [Jen Hatmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-hatmaker/) > [I try to do stories that make a difference -- stories that affect the way people think, stories that people need to hear --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-curry/i-try-to-do-stories-that-make-a-difference-stories-that-affect-the/) [Ann Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-curry/) > [We don't think much about how our love stories will affect the world, but they do. Children learn what's worth living for and what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/we-don-t-think-much-about-how-our-love-stories-will-affect-the-world/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“All the world's been a stage. Now it's also a tell-a-vision set and the internet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gore/all-the-world-s-been-a-stage-now-it-s-also-a-tell-a-vision-set-and/) [Dana Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gore/) > [I'm not a performer who will come on stage and tell you everything about my life. It's just not who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bebe-neuwirth/i-m-not-a-performer-who-will-come-on-stage-and-tell-you-everything/) [Bebe Neuwirth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bebe-neuwirth/) > [Most human beings will not stand in front of a stage and tell you about the bad things they did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/most-human-beings-will-not-stand-in-front-of-a-stage-and-tell-you/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [Listen to the stage manager and get on stage when they tell you to. No one has time for the rock star bullshit. None…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/listen-to-the-stage-manager-and-get-on-stage-when-they-tell-you-to-no/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I thought I could see how standup worked. I never thought of being an actor - or anything else, really - but I thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barratt/i-thought-i-could-see-how-standup-worked-i-never-thought-of-being-an/) [Julian Barratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barratt/) > [I have always loved the big stage and would often tell my friends while growing up that I'd want to help India win the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautam-gambhir/i-have-always-loved-the-big-stage-and-would-often-tell-my-friends/) [Gautam Gambhir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautam-gambhir/) > [I want to get to the stage where nobody can tell how a picture of mine is done. What's the point of that? Simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/i-want-to-get-to-the-stage-where-nobody-can-tell-how-a-picture-of/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) ## More by Danai Gurira > [I grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe. And I had a pretty idyllic childhood. I felt that I was kind of this outspoken girl, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danai-gurira/i-grew-up-in-harare-zimbabwe-and-i-had-a-pretty-idyllic-childhood-i/) [Danai Gurira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danai-gurira/) > [I call myself Zimerican. I was born in the Midwest to Zimbabwean parents. My father was a professor at Grinnell College in Iowa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danai-gurira/i-call-myself-zimerican-i-was-born-in-the-midwest-to-zimbabwean/) [Danai Gurira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danai-gurira/) > [People with nothing to hide don't usually feel the need to say so](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danai-gurira/people-with-nothing-to-hide-don-t-usually-feel-the-need-to-say-so/) [Danai Gurira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danai-gurira/) > [You look at women like Lena Dunham, you look at how women are kind of crafting their own space on the screen. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danai-gurira/you-look-at-women-like-lena-dunham-you-look-at-how-women-are-kind-of/) [Danai Gurira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danai-gurira/) > [If a story is telling a truth, then why shouldn't it affect everybody?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danai-gurira/if-a-story-is-telling-a-truth-then-why-shouldn-t-it-affect-everybody/) [Danai Gurira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danai-gurira/) > [My assumption is I'm not going to be recognized. But when I am, I'm like, "Dang, you know who I am?" I always think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danai-gurira/my-assumption-is-i-m-not-going-to-be-recognized-but-when-i-am-i-m/) [Danai Gurira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danai-gurira/) > [I just feel like it's fascinating to me just watching my own family, seeing my cousins have children here, seeing the generations go on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danai-gurira/i-just-feel-like-it-s-fascinating-to-me-just-watching-my-own-family/) [Danai Gurira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danai-gurira/) > [I hate horror movies! I avoid them like the plague. I don't like getting scared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danai-gurira/i-hate-horror-movies-i-avoid-them-like-the-plague-i-don-t-like/) [Danai Gurira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danai-gurira/) > [I always used to say hybrids would rule the world - people who have an understanding of many cultures and can relate to them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danai-gurira/i-always-used-to-say-hybrids-would-rule-the-world-people-who-have-an/) [Danai Gurira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danai-gurira/) > [It's something I've constantly found shocking - all this astounding talent amongst black women that never gets to be seen or heard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danai-gurira/it-s-something-i-ve-constantly-found-shocking-all-this-astounding/) [Danai Gurira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danai-gurira/) > [You have to remember that you are part of a craft, and you are constantly building your craft. Ultimately, we are artists, so it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danai-gurira/you-have-to-remember-that-you-are-part-of-a-craft-and-you-are/) [Danai Gurira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danai-gurira/) > [If my work is on the stage, you can be rested assured I'm going to make use of it as a platform for activism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danai-gurira/if-my-work-is-on-the-stage-you-can-be-rested-assured-i-m-going-to/) [Danai Gurira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danai-gurira/) > [Zimbabweans are so smart and witty and able to weave together tons of situations and experiences into terminologies that are just utterly original.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danai-gurira/zimbabweans-are-so-smart-and-witty-and-able-to-weave-together-tons-of/) [Danai Gurira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danai-gurira/) > [I'm not only a person of color, I'm also a woman. And I'm not only a woman, I'm also a woman from the Third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danai-gurira/i-m-not-only-a-person-of-color-i-m-also-a-woman-and-i-m-not-only-a/) [Danai Gurira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danai-gurira/) > [We moved to Zimbabwe when I was five, some years after Zimbabwe had gained independence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danai-gurira/we-moved-to-zimbabwe-when-i-was-five-some-years-after-zimbabwe-had/) [Danai Gurira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danai-gurira/) [Explore all 46 Danai Gurira quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danai-gurira/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Why can't black women on stage tell stories that can affect white men in the audience?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Danai Gurira" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danai-gurira/why-can-t-black-women-on-stage-tell-stories-that-can-affect-white-men/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Audience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danai-gurira/why-can-t-black-women-on-stage-tell-stories-that-can-affect-white-men/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/danai-gurira-14419_audience_why-can-t-black-women-on-stage-tell-stor_810404.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/danai-gurira-14419_audience_why-can-t-black-women-on-stage-tell-stor_810404.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/danai-gurira-14419_audience_why-can-t-black-women-on-stage-tell-stor_810404.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Why can't black women on stage tell stories that can affect white men in the audience?” — Danai Gurira", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Danai Gurira", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danai-gurira/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Why can't black women on stage...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danai-gurira/why-can-t-black-women-on-stage-tell-stories-that-can-affect-white-men/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danai-gurira/why-can-t-black-women-on-stage-tell-stories-that-can-affect-white-men/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```