Decision Makers

“Within this discourse, we can clearly observe how gender and class consciousness were frequently stratification points, determining whether Black folks promoted the conspiracy theory that legalized abortion as an attempt at committing Black genocide. As Black men participated in this conspiracy theory discourse more than Black women, there were many examples of masculinist, sexist standpoints informing their perspectives within Ebony and Jet. Though their perspectives and experiences were invisibilized by proponents of this conspiracy theory, many Black women were supportive of abortion rights while remaining suspicious of the white supremacist political establishment that had historically sought to exploit or eliminate Black Americans. At times, their dissenting opinions were also included in the broader discourse surrounding abortion within these magazines, spurred by articles and briefs that purported abortion was Black genocide. This conspiracy discourse reflected the complex relationships between race, gender, and class amidst contentious fights for civil rights.

Years before the term intersectionality entered the popular lexicon, there was a history of Black men prioritizing Blackness at the expense of Black women who were also experiencing sexism and misogynoir. Civil rights struggles were often framed primarily as racial issues, sidelining the gendered violence and systemic barriers faced by Black women. Issues like sexual violence, workplace discrimination, and reproductive rights —concerns that disproportionately impacted Black women— were often dismissed as secondary or divisive, reflecting a hierarchy of struggles that privileged Black men’s experiences. This erasure not only marginalized Black women within broader movements for racial justice but also reinforced the very systems of oppression they sought to dismantle, as demonstrated by this conspiracy discourse.”

Chapter 3 “Abortion is Black Genocide”: Controversial Conspiracy Theories in Black Magazines