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African Americans and Birth Control
The history African American women and their participation in the birth control movement reflects a very conflicted set of ideals regarding African American women, the use of contraceptive practices and abortion. Prominent historical figures debated whether African American communities would benefit from birth control or if birth control was another methodical scheme put in place to suppress the African American community.

Early Arguments for Contraception for African Americans
In July of 1932, Margaret Sanger published a special issue of her magazine entitled the Birth Control Review. The issue was titled the Negro Number and called on prominent African Americans to display why birth control was beneficial to the African American community. Authors such as W.E.B Du Bois and George Schuyler contributed to the magazine stating different reasons why they believed contraception was an asset for Blacks

DuBois addressed the issue of birth control as a means of empowerment for African Americans in the article Black Folk and Birth Control. DuBois believed that voluntary birth control could serve as a way for Blacks to plan their families and secure their economic futures by not producing more children than the family could afford. He also addressed the issue of African Americans and the belief that in order to gain a substantial amount of power, Blacks need to produce more offspring. DuBois stated, “They must learn that among human races and groups, as among vegetables, quality and not mere quantity counts.” [[File:W.E.B. DuBois.jpg|thumb|W.E.B. Du Bois

Early Opposition
Contraception was not unilaterally accepted in the African American community during the early 20th century. Birth control to some seemed like a method of population control that could be administered by the government to suppress the Black population. Marcus Garvey and Julian Lewis were both against birth control for African Americans for this reason though the approach differed. Garvey, as a Black Nationalist, believed in the “power in numbers” theory when it came to how Blacks would obtain power in the U.S. Garvey was also a Roman Catholic. Lewis took a more “scientific” approach to denouncing contraception.