The Conspiracy to Destroy Black Women

by Michael Porter

It has long been argued that women, especially black women, have been relegated to a second-class status in American society, and despite modern advances remain subject to a debilitating discrimination in many areas of life. This book presents a fresh perspective on the many facets of sexism experienced by African American women, addressing such issues as wage disparity, spousal abuse, and the rising rate of AIDS among black women. It also examines the roots of sexism among African American males, including the effect of gangster rap music on perceptions of black women, and offers strategies for change.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Current Affairs

160 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2001

About the author

Michael Porter is a licensed counselor providing services for families, couples, sex abuse victims and juvenile sex offenders.


Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Tim Haslett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is symptomatic of why Afrocentric thinking should not be ignored wholesale. It is not a monolithic body of thought. Certainly, certain aspects of Afrocentricity can be reactionary, patriarchal and homophobic, but certainly not all.

Michael Porter addresses the forces arrayed against black women in the US: poverty, sexism, white supremacy, AIDS, the constant production of degrading images of black women as hypersexual animals, and so many other things.

The author addresses all of these pressing issues and also looks at the roots of black male sexism. This book finds a lot of fault with hip-hop culture, and certainly it has a lot to answer for, though not as much as the author claims, I believe.

It falls a little short vis-a-vis homophobia as well as black feminisms, which is disappointing. But it is a significant book to be sure.

[Koko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good points but the information is kind of outdated. Author's voice can be blamatory to African American women. Besides the few references there was little research done as far as statistics and demographics, which would have strengthen his points.

[LaChelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand what he is trying to get at but he's not very well spoken and his opinions are presented in a way that provides little to no factual evidence to support them. Overall it's a very biased piece and is not well articulated.

[KING · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative for women as a whole

[powaa_house23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!!!

I love this book. To be a black male wanting a black woman to know her self and worth. This book compliments and knowledgeable for the black woman

[Dara Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I originally rated this book a 4, but dropped it to a 3 because I just liked it. Didn't really love it.
It was definitely filled with informative things that make you think a bit deeper as to why black women are in the positions they are.

I do think the title should've been The Conspiracy to Destroy Black People instead of Women because the author speaks a lot about how our man are set up and programmed to assimilate into white supremacy. I do hope anyone who reads this book acknowledges what we're up against as people of color and to move accordingly in life. To dwell on all that we're up against us does nothing to better us.

[Alysia]

Very thought-provoking. I am forever inspired to action by this knowledge.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice try

[Syvehlla · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent read. I think it had good information for the time it was written in, and much of it is still relevant today. But it seemed very repetitive to me. I will be checking out a couple of books referenced in this one though.

[jbs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rambling and pure insanity.

[Chelsea Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Outdated information and frankly I dont believe a male should be speaking on Female topics, it just rubs me the wrong way. I didn't learn anything about this book, and would not necessarily recommend it.

[Ché Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Title: “The Book That Made Me Yell at the Page: A 2025 Look at a 2000 Manifesto”

🌟🌟☆☆☆ 2 out of 5 stars

Before I say anything about The Conspiracy to Destroy Black Women, let me just say:

I'm a Black woman. I have a B.A. in Psychology, a minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and I’m currently working on a second B.A. in English and African American Studies. I'm also pursuing a future M.A./PhD in African American Studies / WGSS. This isn’t just a casual read for me — this is both personal and academic.

So I opened this book expecting something challenging, maybe even cathartic. What I got was... well, a lot. And not always in a good way.

📘 Context matters: this book was published in 2000.

That doesn’t excuse everything, but it *does* explain a lot.

The early 2000s were a very specific moment for Black political thought — still riding the wave of '90s Afrocentricity, a growing backlash to hip hop misogyny, and the rise of respectability politics 2.0. You can feel all of that in this book. There's a lot of righteous anger — some of it justified — but it’s tangled up in gender essentialism, moralizing, and conspiracy-heavy takes that don’t age well in 2025.

🧠 The Good: There are moments of clarity.

The chapter “Myth of the Ugly Body” begins with a strong critique of commodified insecurity and Eurocentric beauty standards. He calls out how systems (education, prisons, media) harm Black women disproportionately.

So yes, some chapters begin with promise. But here’s the issue...

❗The Bad: He doesn’t stay with the point. Ever.

Porter starts on a road that seems clear… then veers off into oncoming traffic of assumptions and contradictions.

Claims are made with zero sources. “Black women didn’t experience bulimia in the ‘80s”? That’s just wrong. (Becker et al., 2003.) He repeats inaccurate information about welfare housing and offers odd advice about women letting men live with them — despite laws meant to prevent unregistered tenancy. (HUD, 2023.) He speaks for women, then says men shouldn't define womanhood — literally within a few chapters of doing exactly that.

🧍🏾‍♀️The Male Gaze is Loud in Here

Porter claims he’s fighting patriarchy… but spends a lot of time telling women how to behave. There’s a tone of “you should’ve chosen better,” which is painfully familiar to any Black woman who’s ever been blamed for her own mistreatment.

He asks Black women to fix problems created by systems — while letting Black men off easy. The logic trap is real: if you pick the wrong man, it’s your fault.

💀 Let’s talk about the homophobia.

Some sections are uncomfortably dismissive, especially about bisexual Black men and queer identity. Porter frames queerness as a byproduct of white supremacy — which is not only wrong, but also erases rich precolonial histories of gender and sexual diversity in African societies (see Tamale, 2011; Amadiume, 1997).

As someone in AAS/WGSS spaces, this is where the book really lost me.

🧾 APA-style Receipts:

Becker, A.E. et al. (2003). Development of eating disorders in Black adolescent girls: Testing risk models derived from white populations. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 157(8), 761–767. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2023). hud.gov Tamale, S. (2011). African Sexualities: A Reader. Pambazuka Press. Amadiume, I. (1997). Reinventing Africa. Zed Books.

🧃Final Sip: Worth reading? Sure. But know what you're drinking.

I don’t regret reading it. I think it’s the kind of book you read when you want to argue, not agree. And sometimes that’s useful. If you’re studying Black gender theory or patriarchy in pop culture, it’s worth having this on your shelf — just not as gospel.

That said, you’ll need your critical lens on the whole time. And maybe a group chat, because you *will* want to scream-text someone at least once per chapter.