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Royce Jackson, aka "Mocha," teaches a class on black female sexuality. The class discusses how black females are portrayed in society.

'Mocha' explores sex

By: Chynthiawaty Jie

Posted: 9/24/07

Chicken heads, bitches, 'hos, Jemima, and Jezebel are stereotypical names for black females according to Royce Jackson, a graduate student in Public Administration at the Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration.

The portrayal of black women as sexually promiscuous began in slavery and has extended to today's world. The media distorts the depictions of black females.

This is not a new thing.

"I'm simply talking about the historical perspective and presenting the old topic in a new method," Jackson said.

Jackson, who preferred the name "Mocha," is an active member of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and also a Public Relations Chair for Women in the NAACP (WIN), and will teach a class entitled "Exploring Black Female Sexuality."

"This is simply the formulation and representation of black female sexuality to society," Jackson said. "Who controls the media? Who controls the TV station? Who controls the programming? Are they black females? Are they representing themselves?"

Her class is for students or others who are interested in destroying the misconception of black females and revealing the truth about their sexualities. Her method of teaching will engage students in discussions about sexuality and controlling images.

Part of her method is to raise student awareness about media advertising and to give them the opportunity to voice the misconstruction of black female sexuality.

Students will have an optional social project where they write letters to a network, like CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX, about how the media represents sexuality, according to Jackson.

"Students may write a recommendation on what needs to be done for a social change in the way media treats black females," Jackson said.

The class is going to meet in three sessions. The first was Sept. 22. The others will be Oct. 13 and Nov. 10.

Students are encouraged to enroll even if they missed the first session. The class is free for all UMKC students and $15 for non-UMKC students.

For more information about the course, call (816) 235-1448.

cj832@umkc.edu