Effects of Domestic Violence on African- American Women: Opinion Paper
Issue and History of the Issue

Young women are primary victims of domestic violence and it has been estimated that every minute, 20 people suffer from domestic violence in the U.S. (NCADV, 2017). This issue is therefore one that is quite serious, but it is one that particularly impacts the African-American community. African-American women struggle particularly because the African-American family has suffered for decades in the U.S. because of a number of issues—from the incarceration of black men to such an extent that black disproportionately make up a greater percentage of the prison population than any other group to the fact that black culture has been abused by the pushing of drugs culture and liberalism into the homes and streets of black communities. However, this issue goes all the way back to the days of slavery when black women were used and abused by their Masters on plantations (Franklin, 2000). That tradition of neglect and violence has continued in American culture to this day.

Prevalence/Trends

According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (2017), 40% of black women experience violence from a partner. According to Rennison and Welchans (2000) the numbers are even higher: some 90% of domestic violence survivors are African-American women according to their analysis. African-American women also experience high rates of mental abuse and 20% of the African-American female population will be raped at some point in their lives (Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 2017). Black women are also 2.5x more likely to be murdered by a man than white women are (Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 2017). This type of violence is clearly trending in the wrong direction and the continued abandonment of families by fathers and the continued promotion of negative stereotypes in media do nothing to reduce the prevalence.

Literature Review

The literature on this issue shows startling findings. Bent-Goodley (2001) identifies the issue as stemming from the socio-economic issues, the race issues, and sexism issues that plague the African-American community today. Ultimately, it is shown to be a cultural problem, as much of the cultural inputs that influence and inform this community contain negative stereotypes. Women in hip hop videos are generally portrayed as being strippers there to satisfy the male ego and nothing more—so that when the satisfaction wears off the male feels he has the license to react violently—a theme found in much of hip hop and...…justice system. They have been exploited by Big Media and projected in a thuggish manner by the culture industry. This projection has been embraced by the population overall and so a mentality of thuggishness and acceptable violence has pervaded black culture as a result.

My recommendation is that the culture be addressed, that blacks stand up and stop accepting these projections. Kanye West is right when he argues that black communities are still being kept on a plantation in their minds. They need to have more respect for themselves and for their women in particularly. The women need to stop allowing themselves to be objectified and turned into eye candy for the male gaze so that producers can make millions off their images and bodies. It is a form of prostitution that simply exacerbates the situation and devalues women in the eyes of men. That cycle contributes to the cycle of domestic violence. The culture therefore has to change. The black community needs more positive role models like Candace Owens and Kanye West and Malcolm X who turned his own life around, stopped being a thug, married and found religion. Culture has to start in this way and that will help to address this issue.…