The assassination of the Black male image

by Earl Ofari Hutchinson

In Assassination of the Black Male Image, Hutchinson counters the popular racial and sexual stereotypes of black men. He argues that the black male image has been maligned and assaulted by academics, the press, and Hollywood, as well as some black rappers, comedians, feminists, filmmakers, and novelists. He accuses them of reinforcing and profiting from the stereotypes. Hutchinson traces the racial and sexual typecasting of African-American men during the past century, demonstrating that the perpetual crime-drugs-violence-dereliction image of African-American men has deep historic roots in America's racial past. He contends that racial and sexual stereotypes have frequently been skillfully minipulated by America's political and economic power brokers to deny rights and opportunities to African Americans.