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How the Jezebel Stereotype has been Weaponized Against Black Girls and Made Them Vulnerable to Sex Trafficking: An Examination of Carceral Public Systems

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Abstract

The name Jezebel has long been associated with promiscuous and manipulative women since Biblical times. The name is now often associated with Black women and girls. In this paper, the author (1) explored the impact of the Jezebel stereotype on Black girls’ sexual victimization, (2) discussed the impact of adverse childhood experiences, and (3) examined how carceral public systems harm Black girls and make them vulnerable to being sex trafficked. The carceral public systems discussed in this paper include educational settings and child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Recommendations to redress race and racism, classism, and sexism in these three settings are offered.

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Notes

  1. Disproportionality refers to overrepresentation or underrepresentation of an ethnic group compared to its percentage in the total population, while disparity indicates unequal outcomes of an ethnic group compared with others in another ethnic group (Children’s Bureau, 2021; Choi et al., 2021).

  2. The American Association of Physical Anthropologists, which is now known as the American Association of Biological Anthropologists, released a Statement on Race in 1996 in an attempt to debunk “race science” that had been used to justify genocide, slavery, and apartheid around the world. As the original authors of said biased and false science, the AAPA recognized its harm and wanted to set the record straight by formally stating that all humans share 99.9% of DNA and that race is not a biological construct.

  3. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, Text Revision.

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  1. College of Social Work, The Ohio State University, 325D Stillman Hall, 1947 North College Road, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Jacquelyn C. A. Meshelemiah

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Meshelemiah, J.C.A. How the Jezebel Stereotype has been Weaponized Against Black Girls and Made Them Vulnerable to Sex Trafficking: An Examination of Carceral Public Systems. J Afr Am St 26, 355–374 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-022-09596-0

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