White Supremacy and the Emasculation of the Black Male

Motherland Media Network

The words of Carter G. Woodson are key to understanding the process of emasculating the black man in America. “When you control a man’s thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his ‘proper place’ and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His education makes it necessary.” The invasion of Africa and its people beginning in the 1400’s, coupled with the Middle Passage, began the process of emasculation for the African male in route to America. Daniel P. Black, in his book, Dismantling Black Manhood, describes it as, “the slave’s initiation into a systematic degradation designed to strip away his humanity and make him ready for the seller’s block.” (43) This ‘commoditization’, as it is referred to by Stephanie Smallwood in her work Saltwater Slavery, was an acute blow to both the sense of self and manhood for the African male, who prided himself on being able to protect and defend his wife and family. This week’s conversation will continue to examine the research done on this important area of Black History. What are the historical roots for the system of white supremacy? What documented things were done to people of African descent in the name of white supremacy? How do African people resurrect themselves from the catastrophic impact of this process?