skip navigation

African-American Community

The rates of intimate partner violence and sexual assault against women in the African-American community are alarming:

  • The number one killer of African-American females, ages 15 to 34, was homicide at the hands of an intimate partner or ex-partner (Bureau of Health Statistics, 1994; Sullivan and Rumptz, 1994)
  • The African-American community experiences domestic violence at greater levels than White Americans, Asian Americans, and Latinos (Rennison & Welchan, 2000; Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000)
  • Black women comprise 8% of the U.S. population, but account for 20% of the intimate partner homicide victims (Homicide Reports, 1976-1999)

In order to understand the needs of victims and survivors of violence against women in the African-American community , it is imperative to understand factors that prevent many victims and survivors of violence from reporting the violence. Inequalities, from historical to contemporary racial discrimination, and other variables contribute to a distrust of formal systems in spite the need for assistance.

  • African-American women have a “tendency to withstand abuse, subordinate feelings and concerns with safety, and make a conscious self-sacrifice for what she perceives as the greater good of the community, but to her own physical, psychological and spiritual detriment.” (Ashbury, 1993, Bent-Goodley 2001, p.323)
  • For every African-American/Black woman that reports her rape, at least 15 African American/Black women do not report theirs. (Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, Hart & Rennison, 2003. U.S. Department of Justice)
  • African American women experiencing domestic violence have their children removed from the home more than other groups of women, even when the circumstances are similar to other groups. (Bentley-Goodley, 2004)
  • Male and female African Americans are more likely than other groups to be arrested, prosecuted and incarcerated due to violence. (Richie, 1996; Roberts, 1994)

Understanding the multiple levels of oppression that women in the African-American community face can help advocates provide culturally sensitive services. The African-American community has experienced systematic violence dating back to slavery and reconstruction. Racial inequality and injustice has continued in a variety of forms in the U.S.

Additional Online Resources

 

Reviewed: August 5th, 2011