Is it Taboo, to be you?

African Americans in modern civilization have been feeling as though their sexual nature is seen more as being taboo in both white and black communities. For many years the sexual nature of most black individuals has been either ignored or shamed.
As far back as the days of slavery until the beginning of the new millennium, the topic of race was not able to be discussed without the topic of sex coming up. From 1619 to 1865 enslaved and free blacks were constantly sexually violated because at the time black people were seen as novelties not humans.
With such a negative stigma attached with the action of sexuality of black people, it is no wonder why over time the sexual desires and identities of African Americans became utterly oppressed.
Activist Cornel West’s 1994 book, Race Matters, seemed to be a determining factor as to why so many black individuals feel as though their sexuality cannot be expressed.
According to West, myths imply that black women and men are either threatening creatures, possess sexual power over white people or perceived as being completely desexed. There are parallels between Aunt Jemima and Uncle Tom and how they are both sexless and impotent African American figures.
In the early 1990s is when black sexuality began to boom and come to light mainly in pop culture. Around the time West published Race Matters in the 1990s, many saw the theme of sex becoming more mainstream in popular culture. Song like “Baby Got Back” and “I Wanna Sex You Up” certainly paved the way for people including African Americans to accept and feel comfortable with sexuality.
This is why in the present day it is not entirely understandable how some people could perceive black sexuality to be taboo in the black community anymore. Being obsessed with sex seems to be a common trend in the American culture, particularly in the black community. Black sexuality is becoming more accepted and spoken upon.
For example this “twerking” craze, was created by black people as a form of dancing and now people of all races are interested and participating in this deliberately provocative dance. Some will argue that Miley Cyrus popularized or exposed other cultures outside the African American community to twerking.
The raise of the black sexuality was inevitable. African Americans have earned the right to sexual free and expression. If anything, the series of events in recent years have reinforced African American’s role in the sexual identity of America.