Claude McKay

“ You might say the negro is over-sexed; the same statement may be made of the Italians or Jews of the Caucasian race. To say the black man is “sexually unrestrainable” is palpably false. I, a full-blooded negro, can control my sexual proclivities when I care to, and am endowed with my fair share of primitive passion. Besides I know of hundreds of negroes of the Americas and Africa who can do likewise. When white men go among coloured races they do not take their women with them; hence the hundreds of mulattos, octoroons, and eurasians disowned by the Caucasian race. ”

“ But, verily, trophies of war are trophies of war whether they are human works of art like paintings and sculpture or nature's like man's hands and heads. I am quite ignorant of the “well-known physiological reasons that make the raping of a white woman by a negro resultful of serious and fatal injury”. Any violent act of rape, whether by white, yellow or black, civilised or savage man, must entail injury, serious or fatal, especially if the victim is a virgin. The worst case of rape I ever heard of took place in Kansas City some eight years ago ”

“ If you are really consistent in thinking that you can do something to help the white and black peoples to a better understanding of each other, there is much you might learn from Liberal and Conservative organs like The Nation, The New Statesman and the Edinburgh Review, which have treated the problem (exposing the iniquities practised on the natives and showing up the shortcomings of the latter) in a decent and dignified matter. ”