Slavery to Liberation- The African American Experience, 2019a

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Chapter 5
Some Notes on the History of Black Sexuality in the
United States
John P. Elia
San Francisco State University
“African American experience simultaneously reflects the
problems faced by other groups of oppressed people; yet, it
is also a unique history that must be explained in its own
right” – Patricia Hill Collins (2004) 1
“The pathologizing of Black sexuality continued as means of
affirming the superior status of Europeans while restricting
the social movement of Black people by characterizing
egalitarian interaction with them as undesirable”
– Kevin McGruder (2010) 2
INTRODUCTION
Negative attitudes about sexual matters have persisted for centuries in the Western
world. There has been a history of sex negativity, misinformation about sexuality,
sexual injustice, and myths surrounding sexuality. The history of sexuality reveals that
these negative attitudes, myths, and forms of misinformation have not been innocuous.
People have been disproportionately harmed as a result. This chapter is intended to be
a general historical overview of the topic, covering enduring themes and patterns that
have persisted through much of U.S. history, rather than a narrow focus on a particular
sexual topic or historical period.
1
Patricia Hill Collins, Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender, and the New
Racism (New York & London: Routledge, 2004), 13.
2
Kevin McGruder, “Pathologizing Black Sexuality: The U.S. Experience,” In Black
Sexualities: Probing Powers, Passions, Practices, and Policies, eds. Juan Battle and
Sandra L. Barnes (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2010), 104.