Community Insights on Domestic Violence among African Americans

ABSTRACT

Twenty years ago, in an attempt to fill a gap in the literature on domestic violence among African Americans, the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community (IDVAAC) launched its Community Insights Project in which focus groups were conducted in selected cities around the country. Over the course of the project, 335 African American participants in seven cities provided their views on the causes of domestic violence in the black community, solutions to the violence, and barriers to addressing the violence. These conversations with members of the faith community, the law enforcement community, community activists, human services workers, the LGBTQ community, and those working with children and youth provide a rare view of the black community’s perspective on domestic violence. And while many of the responses are not exclusive to the black community, much of the discussion centered on uniquely African American issues such as structural inequalities, racial oppression, economic disenfranchisement of black men, and the ongoing impact of slavery. There was concern for the welfare of “the community” (vs. the individual), and for black men, even as they were being called out for their perpetration of intimate partner violence.

KEYWORDS:

• Causes of partner abuse
• intimate partner violence
• Black Americans
• domestic violence prevention
• racism and discrimination
• slavery

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Human Services, Youth and Families, Office of Community Services through its funding of the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community. The author acknowledges the many people who helped with the formation and implementation of these groups over the years including staff at IDVAAC and focus group participants around the country. The data for this study comes from focus groups designed and facilitated by members of the 1998–2004 steering committee of the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community: Kelly Mitchel-Clark, Linner Ward Griffin, Robert L. Hampton, Sheilia Hankins, Esther J. Jenkins, Joyce N. Thomas, William Oliver, Beth E. Richie, Antonia A. Van, and Oliver J. Williams.

Disclosure of interest

The author declares that she has no conflicts to report.

Ethical standards and informed consent

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.”

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women.