LOS ANGELES — Vibe.com has compiled a collection of interviews with adult's most prominent black performers to create "An Oral History of Black Porn."
The story, written by Keith Murphy, examines through discussion and shared anecdotes the discrimination black performers have faced in the past and, in many cases, continue to endure.
The post introduces a number of hot bed issues, including the disparity in pay between black and white performers, culturally insensitive movie themes and the "unapologetic racism" that carries over behind the scenes.
Director Diana DeVoe opens the piece by recounting a disturbing go-see experience she had when she first started out as a performer in 1999.
She recalls, "The guy at my first meeting told me, ‘we can’t sell black women; you’re not desirable to our audience. But, if you’d like to give me a blow job behind the desk really quick, that would be cool.’”
DeVoe explains that she wasn't offended by the solicitation so much as by the sentiment behind it. She says, "It was the mixed message of, ‘you are completely unattractive as a black woman, but come here and get on your knees.’"
Mr. Marcus, star of more than 1600 adult titles, speaks to the industry's racist axioms, in particular the idea that interracial sex is damaging to a white woman's career.
"The funny thing is you meet a girl and she won’t shoot with you because you’re black," he notes. "But when the money dries up, then they start to consider, 'well, I haven’t done interracial yet.' It’s just out of pure ignorance."
Black Market star Pinky, however, shares a different point of view. "Racism never really came across," she says. "It was more black-on-black hate. They want to point the finger at white people. There are a lot of Black-owned companies that never offered me a distribution deal. I ended up going with Black Market — which is not owned by a black person — and a lot of people were salty that I did a deal with them. But, those black companies weren’t trying to give me opportunities."
To read the more of "An Oral History of Black Porn," visit Vibe.com.
