Publisher's Synopsis
This book is about the Abuse of Power by Black men who are involved in highly visible cultural spaces. It uses the examples of the entertainer, R. Kelly, the comedienne, actor and educator, Bill Cosby and the Civil Rights icon and Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As public figures their actions have had a tremendous impact on Black men and they also represent a cultural perspective that has been plagued by the sexual abuse of power. The book concentrates on Martin Luther King as the most well- known and famed of this trio, but it also presents several examples related by Black women as they have suffered at the hand of others without the fame or notoriety of Kelly, Cosby and King. Thousands of Black men who have engaged in the abuse of power have not been confronted with their behavior. Often these issues have not been discussed by a community which is silent and silenced on issues of sexuality. This book relies on direct observation, biographical information, the narratives of Black women, poetic presentation and a thick description of the abuse of power. It identifies failed emotional boundaries and sexual perversion as the two most prominent causal factors resulting in the sexual abuse of power and gives important information that can help to alleviate this problem. This volume presents new information and builds upon and elaborates the information found in the 2012 book "Sexual Abuse of Power in the Black Church," Westbow Press. It also sets forth a set of ethical rules that can be helpful in governing relationships and provides definitions of abuse of power, sexual abuse, sexual relations and sexual harassment.
