Client or Primary Investigator: Amber Joy Powell Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminology; Jonathan Reid Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Texas A&M University

Project Manager: Cassidy Branch

Project Start: December 1, 2025

Project Description: Drawing from research in sociology, criminology, and public health, this mixed-methods project examines how historical and contemporary controlling images of Black male criminality shape Black men’s consensual and unwanted sexual experiences. More specifically, we use a nationally representative sample to examine the following questions: To what extent have Black men encountered racial-sexual stereotypes about Black male dangerousness? How have Black men internalized and/or resisted these stereotypes? How might the intergenerational transmission of these stereotypes and their consequent collective trauma shape Black men’s contemporary understandings of sexual agency, autonomy, and consent?

Services Provided: Web panel survey, IRB Support, Survey Programming & Testing