Information > Sexual Assault  > The Myth of the Black Rapist

Myth: Black men target White women to sexually assault.

Fact:  93% of all sexual assaults are intra-racial.  This means that White men are the primary perpetrators of sexualized violence against White women, and likewise African-American women and women of color are most commonly assaulted by African-American men and men of color.  Of the 7% of sexual assaults that are interracial, 3.4% involve the assault of a Black woman by a White man, while 3.3% involve the assault of a White woman by a Black man (Menachem Amir, criminologist, 1991).

The myth of Black men targeting White women to sexually assault is based on a racist belief system.   The myth of the Black rapist was created during Reconstruction to justify the lynching of Black men.  Today, lynching is much less common, yet the myth of the Black rapist still permeates our culture.  Read more about systems of oppression and the myth of the black rapist here.

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