For the mammal, see Blackbuck. For the RAF operation, see Operation Black Buck.
In post-Reconstruction United States, Black Buck was a racial slur used to describe a certain type of African American men. In particular, the caricature was used to describe black men who absolutely refused to bend to the law of white authority and were irredeemably violent, rude, and lecherous.
According to popular stereotypes during the post-Reconstruction era, "Black Buck" was a black man (usually muscular or tall) who defies white will and is largely destructive to American society. He is usually hot-tempered, excessively violent, unintelligent, and eager to sexually assault young women, especially white virgins. Most often, any attempt to restrain, reprimand, or re-educate the individual will fail, necessitating the individual's immediate execution (usually by lynching).
Read more about Black Buck: Examples of "Black Buck" in Media
Famous quotes containing the words black and/or buck:
“To avoid the consequences of posterity the mulattos give the blacks a first class letting alone. There is a frantic stampede white-ward to escape from Jamaica’s black mass.”
—Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960)
“How strange a thing is death, bringing to his knees, bringing to his antlers/The buck in the snow.”
—Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950)