The Sexualization of Black Men

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), for example, followed King, wiretapped his phones and conducted other surveillance in an attempt to obtain information that the government could use to draw public support away from the civil rights leader. For this purpose, material of a sexual nature was particularly useful.

Like those of Thomas Jefferson and John F. Kennedy, King's private life has been scrutinized for decades, often providing fodder for detractors. Yet for most Americans, the accomplishments of these and other great historical figures far outweigh any alleged personal indiscretions.

Still, the information in Michael Eric Dyson's book and other sources may pique students' interest. If the subject does emerge in your class, point out that the accusations about King (in addition to having marginal, if any, relevance when weighed against his overall legacy) have a highly racialized significance. The FBI's covert campaign against King -- specifically the alleged marital infidelity -- was intended to stoke the unyielding stereotype of black men as sexual predators. In his book Uprooting Racism, activist Paul Kivel explains:

[African slaves'] ability to reproduce and increase the slave owner's capital was nearly as important as their ability to work. They came to be defined by the sexual role that they were forced to play in the plantation economy. …

Men of color have been portrayed [consistently throughout U.S. history] as wild beasts, aggressive sexual beings with little or no restraint and insatiable appetites for white women … [Further] white women are taught that men of color are highly sexualized beings whose very gaze will assault them.

The sexualization of black men remains a powerful tool in objectifying men of color, creating fear among whites and perpetuating the racial divide in the U.S.