Publish Online - IPV and AA Women2

African-American Women and Intimate Partner Violence : 

African-American Women and Intimate Partner Violence Katherine Elizabeth Morrison, PhD The Moxy Woman, Boston, MA © 2010 Morrison, Katherine Elizabeth. The Moxy Woman

Slide 2: 

2 But I love him I don’t know why I should He isn't good He isn't true He beats me too... What can I do? My Man (1941) Ella Fitzgerald

Racial Comparisons : 

3 Racial Comparisons

Consequences to Health : 

4 Consequences to Health Increased risk for mild & serious injury More likely to have a weapon used against them 9 times more likely to experience depression than Black women who have not been abused 3 times as more likely to be killed by male intimate partner

Slide 5: 

5 Domestic violence is one of the leading causes of death among African-American women ages 15-24 National Center for Health Statistics

Why is Intimate Partner Violence Higher among these Women? : 

6 Why is Intimate Partner Violence Higher among these Women?

Why is IPV Higher?Risk Factors : 

7 Why is IPV Higher?Risk Factors Women as Victims Witnessing IPV as child Childhood Abuse Sexism Poverty African-American Women Intersection of racism and sexism Societal structure African-American experience Cultural issues

Why is IPV higher? : 

8 Why is IPV higher? Sociocultural Issues Institutionalized racism Issues surrounding masculinity Imagery surrounding African-American women

Slide 9: 

9 Institutionalized Racism High levels of poverty High levels of unemployment Scant affordable housing Inadequate educational opportunities Access to appropriate health care Poor neighborhood/ community resources

African- American Masculinity : 

10 African- American Masculinity

African- American Masculinity : 

11 African- American Masculinity “…use their peers as human depositories for all of the pain and frustration in their lives.” King (1997, p.90)

African-American Masculinity and IPV : 

12 African-American Masculinity and IPV Hyper-sexuality “Dog”, “Playa”, “Pimp” Additional need to exercise power and control Sexism – traditional values Believe stereotypes of African-American women

Imagery and African-American Women : 

13 Imagery and African-American Women

CULTURE & RACIAL IDENTITY : 

14 CULTURE & RACIAL IDENTITY

Slide 15: 

15 “I am a Black woman, Tall as a cypress, Strong beyond all definition, Still, Defying place and time and circumstance, Assailed, Impervious, Indestructible, Look on me and be renewed.” -Mari Evans ‘Strong Black Woman’

Strong Black Woman : 

16 Strong Black Woman …hardworking breadwinner. She is always prepared to ‘do what needs to be done’ for her family and her people. She is sacrificial… She suppresses her own emotional needs while anticipating those of others. She has a seemingly irrepressible spirit unbroken by a legacy of oppression, poverty, and rejection.” -Melissa Harris-Lacewell

SBW – Double-Edged Sword : 

17 SBW – Double-Edged Sword Coping and Resiliency Deleterious to Health and Well-Being

IPV and the ‘Strong Black Woman’ : 

18 IPV and the ‘Strong Black Woman’ Limits help-seeking behavior Limits the amount of support received from family and friends Stigma surrounding IPV from the community

‘QUEEN’ : 

19 ‘QUEEN’ Loyal to the man Endures the abuse to maintain the relationship and/or family Stamina Self-sacrifice; hinders help-seeking Artwork by Raymond Gray

Slide 20: 

20 Jeanette – 28 years old I felt bad and had the blues a lot. Depression

Slide 21: 

21 Agnes -- 52 I felt constantly, ‘I must be doing something to deserve this’. I must be a terrible and bad person. I don’t deserve anything good in my life…It must be something that I’ve done to deserve this. It must be something I’m not doing. Self-Blame

Slide 22: 

22 Meghan - 42 It took away some of my self esteem. I didn't care too much about myself. Self-Esteem

RACISM : 

23 RACISM

Slide 24: 

24

Avoiding Stereotypes : 

25 Avoiding Stereotypes African-American women are… Loud Domineering Ill-mannered Feisty Manly Emasculating The “Matriarch”

Slide 26: 

26 Brenda - 21 “…and they [police] feel because they see it’s the whole mentality like they say, ‘She’s going to handle that like a black woman handle it’, and that means she’s going to get feisty, she’s going to get in your face…” Need to Avoid Stereotypes

Family and Friends : 

27 Family and Friends

Slide 28: 

28 Cheryl -35 years old “They [family] knew what I was going through, they would just do extra for the children, or you know take the kids for weekend or something like that.” Instrumental Support

Slide 29: 

29 Lisa – 57 years old “… they’d say ‘well that's what you get, we told you, we told you’ and everybody's pointing the finger. There's more shame and guilt in it than anything.” Judgment

Slide 30: 

30 Ava – 26 years old …so he grabbed my hair. And he was like pulling me out the door and I was pregnant you know… they [her sisters] just sat there like there was nothing going on. Family ignore

Food for Thought : 

31 Food for Thought IPV among African-American women is complex Help-seeking is often curtailed Culture e.g., ‘Strong Black Woman’ Structural Racism Oppression

Slide 32: 

32 www.themoxywoman.com