The association of people of African descent with notions of criminality is nothing new. However, the analysis of internalized self-hatred and racism as the roots of urban criminality, how notions of anti-blackness function within the collective white imagination, and the specific impacts of these dynamics on real-world policy debates have been undertheorized.

“Fear of a Black Planet” employs historical analysis, African-centered theory, and experiences in real-world policy advocacy in Maryland to argue that society-wide notions of anti-blackness, fear of Black sovereignty, and a failure to recognize people of African descent as fully human create the context for the consistent criminalization of Black life. This environment makes “tough on crime” drug/criminal justice policies appear logical and creates blindness to the limitations of dominant liberal, public health, and white non-profit “solutions” to crime.

“Fear of a Black Planet” explains how Black institutions, utilizing the cultural resources of African people, create real solutions to crime and violence in the Black community and counter media propaganda around innate Black criminality and inferiority.