African American Sexuality

Throughout American history, African American women were constructed as inherently sexual and excessively available. At the same time, African Americans sexuality became an icon of eccentric sexuality in general and was highlighted during the nineteenth century. For that reason, threats and myths were constructed about African American men as the black rapist, always lurking and waiting, to descend upon white women. On the other hand, African American woman were not only constructed as a sexual object, but they also remained as “an unvoiced object, most often to be found prone, legs spread, lurking in the shadows of a bedroom […] the black woman herself seems more prone to spread diseases and death” (Busia 2005, 250, 253). As a result, both …show more content…
According to Beauvoir, “[T]here are deep similarities between the situation of woman and that of the Negro. Both are being emancipated today from a like paternalism, and the former master class wishes to ‘keep them in their place’” (Beauvoir 1949, 259). That is to say, both African Americans and women have been emancipated from similar consequences. The fact that Beauvoir is comparing feminism with racism is not only “minimizes the impact that [slavery] has had on all black [people] in America” but also “minimize sexist oppression of black women” (hooks 1981, 52). hooks reminds us that, no two significant historical events should be compared to or forced to compete with each other, regarding the terrorizing activities that took place. For example, during the Colonial Era, women were expected to dedicate their time and lives to their …show more content…
African American women were “told that they should take care of household needs and breed warriors for the revolution” (hooks 1981, 5). hooks illustrates her main argument of sexuality issues by explaining that this ideology is based on patriarchy, which cause African America women to face a pattern of terrorist violence. Although we are all women, we all face different struggles and problematic struggles based on sex, religion, ethnicity, class, and race. For this reason, hooks illustrates that “devaluation of black womanhood after slavery ended was a conscious, deliberate effort on the part of whites to sabotage mounting black female self-confidence and self-respect” (hooks 1981, 59). That is to say, Beauvoir’s work lack historical context of African Americans and experiential knowledge. During the Jim Crow era, Caucasian women were brainwashed to perceive African American men as rapist and savages, in order to uplift white supremacy and fear in the white female’s mind that they should all avoid black men (hooks 1981, 6). Therefore, hooks insists that Beauvoir should not compare feminism and racism because they are both of historical significance and they are also different, based on the damages that they cause its people. For example, slavery was abolished in 1860 and although that occurred, African Americans were still not free. According to the Combahee River