Dec
6
A Pair of Pink Underwear
December 6, 2009 | Comments Off on A Pair of Pink Underwear
I have the privilege of working with a group of dynamic, motivated students at Harvard Law School who are passionate about Social Justice issues. We are members of the Black Law Student Association’s Social Justice Committee and have devoted our time this semester to addressing social injustices in the areas of housing, education, and criminal justice.
This year we are approaching these issues from a number of angles, ranging from legislative advocacy to direct services. This approach has demonstrated to me the value of a multi-pronged plan of attack when it comes to fighting for what you believe in. There has to be the scholarly approach. There has to be the legal approach. And there has to be the direct, on the ground, grassroots approach. I have seen each of these approaches work beautifully in different situations:
In college, I had the opportunity to take a class called Black Feminisms. One of our guest lecturers was a brilliant woman named Gina Dent. Among other causes, she felt particularly excited about abolishing the prison system. She despised it, found no redeeming qualities in it, and quickly convinced me to feel the same. Her approach was the scholarly approach — she wrote, lectured, and philosophised about prison in America and sought to mould the thought processes of the young students who would be crucial in the fight against it. This is the right idea.
Last summer I interned at the Southern Center for Human Rights — a law firm that specializes in death penalty and prison reform cases. I worked on the civil side of the office and did a lot of investigation for some of the class-action cases the Center is preparing. This was the legal approach — sometimes changing a system requires speaking the language. The walls of a prison will only be fortified if you try to bust them down. Learn the rules and how to change them, and those same walls begin to melt away. This is the right idea.
The group of law students on the Social Justice Committee who are focusing on education this year have decided to teach a creative writing class at a juvenile detention center in Boston. This is the direct services/grassroots approach. We had a meeting with the Director last week, who explained to us the extremely perilous position that the young women in the center are in. In addition to the criminal charges which landed them there in the first place, they are battling each other, impending abuse on the outside, and the internal battles that are overwhelming for any teenage girl and quite literally destructive for those in their particular situation. Many of us in the meeting were struck by one thing that the Director said as she described the young women who never received anything when there was a mail call: All some of them need to feel like someone in this world cares about them is to receive something in the mail — anything at all, like a pair of pink underwear. This might seem strange that I was struck by the pink underwear, but I believe that the point was beautifully illustrated by the mention of this mundane item: even a small gesture, one that may seem trivial or that it won’t make that much of a difference, can literally change someone’s outlook on life. This is the right idea.
I guess I’m making two points here:
1. Any fight — social justice or otherwise — requires a multi-pronged approach that takes advantage of people’s talents, passions, availability, and creativity. No prong is more or less important than any other and all are critical to make a vision a reality.
2. We can all do something. It can be big and broad, it can be small and personal. BUT, we can all do something.
Dec
1
America’s Disservice
December 1, 2009 | Comments Off on America’s Disservice
A few weeks ago, I had the chance to visit this community organization meeting called “City Life.” City Life is a grassroots organization in Boston that seeks to fight inequality by organizing poor and working class people in order to promote individual empowerment and build collective power. Because of the financial crisis, the main goal of these meetings is to educate people about their rights when facing foreclosure and evictions, and also to give them access to legal representation.
A few thoughts from the meeting:
Not having housing is a real problem that real people face. From the news, we know that millions of Americans are without health care, and that increasingly, Americans are without jobs. But just seeing the 40 or so people in that City Life meeting seeking out information and help that could potentially keep them in their homes really struck a chord with me. We all need shelter, and these people were about to lose it. I can’t think of anything more more fundamental to life than having a stable place to live.
Indeed, housing is fundamental to the American Dream. I’d be willing to bet that most people, at least in my generation, take for granted the fact that they have a roof over their heads. The people in that City Life meeting were being threatened by forces much more powerful than them (like banks) to get out of their homes or apartments. Luckily, the law is a powerful thing. But when people consistently don’t have the information and tools necessary to legally fight for their rights to stay in their homes, America is doing them a huge disservice. Probably an injustice.
City Life is fighting against that injustice.
Oct
31
Domestic Violence-sad facts
October 31, 2009 | 2 Comments
African Americans, particularly African-American women, experience violence resulting in death at the hands of family members more often than any other racial group in the U.S.
- Although from 1976 to 2005, intimate-partner homicides among African Americans declined 69.2%, in 2005 African Americans disproportionately accounted for nearly a third of the intimate-partner homicides that occurred in 2005.
- The rate of domestic violence in the African-American community can be at least partly attributed to economic factors. Intimate-partner violence occurs more often among low-income couples, particularly those in which the male partner is unemployed/underemployed, as well as couples living in poor neighborhoods.
- Alcoholism is related to domestic violence among the African-American couples more so than among White or Hispanic couples.
- Domestic violence re-occurs. Over 1/3 of the women who reported domestic violence admitted to being the victim of severe domestic violence earlier in the year.
Sources: “Survey of Recent Statistics,” ABA Commission on Domestic Violence, http://www.abanet.org/domviol/statistics.html; and “Fact Sheet,” Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community, University of Minnesota School of Social Work, http://www.dvinstitute.org/media/publications/FactSheet.IDVAAC_AAPCFV-Community%20Insights.pdf.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AMONG BLACK WOMEN
- Overall, African Americans were victimized by intimate partners a significantly higher rates than persons of any other race between 1993 and 1998. Black females experienced intimate partner violence at a rate 35% higher than that of white females, and about 22 times the rate of women of other races. Callie Marie Rennison. and Sarah Welchans, U.S. Dep’t of Just., NCJ 178247, Intimate Partner Violence (2000), available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/ascii/ipv.txt
- African-American women experience significantly more domestic violence than White women in the age group of 20-24. Generally, Black women experience similar levels of intimate partner victimization in all other age categories as compared to White women, but experience slightly more domestic violence. (Estimates are provided from the National Crime Victimization Survey, which defines an intimate partner as a current or former spouse, girlfriend, or boyfriend. Violent acts include murder, rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault.) Callie Marie Rennison, U.S. Dep’t of Just., NCJ 187635, Intimate Partner Violence and Age of Victim, 1993-1999, at 4, (2001), available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/ipva99.htm
- The number one killer of African-American women ages 15 to 34 is homicide at the hands of a current or former intimate partner. Africana Voices Against Violence, Tufts University, Statistics, 2002, www.ase.tufts.edu/womenscenter/peace/africana/newsite/statistics.htm
- In a study of African-American sexual assault survivors, only 17% reported the assault to police. Africana Voices Against Violence, Tufts University, Statistics, 2002 www.ase.tufts.edu/womenscenter/peace/africana/newsite/statistics.htm
- In a nationally representative survey conducted in 1996, 29% of African American women and 12% of African American men reported at least one instance of violence from an intimate partner.
- Black women comprise 8% of the U.S. population but in 2005 accounted for 22% of the intimate partner homicide victims and 29% of all female victims of intimate partner homicide.2
- Intimate partner deaths have decreased most dramatically among black men. From 1976-1985, black men were more likely than black women to be a victim of domestic homicide; by 2005, black women were 2.4 times more likely than a black male to murdered by their partners. Over this period, intimate partner homicides declined by 83% for black men vs. 55% for black women.2
- As with women of other races, among African American women killed by their partner, the lethal violence was more likely to occur if there had been incidents in which the partner had used or threatened to use a weapon on her and/or the partner has tried to choke or strangle her.5
- Among African American women killed by their partner, almost half were killed while in the process of leaving the relationship, highlighting the need to take extra precautions at that time.5
- Among African American women who killed their partner, almost 80% had a history of abuse.
- Black women who are battered have more physical ailments,8 mental health issues,4 are less likely to practice safe sex,9 and are more likely to abuse substances during pregnancy10 than black women without a history of abuse.
- Battered women are at greater risk for attempting suicide11 particularly if they were physically abused as a child, for being depressed12 and to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). 13 Women attempt to leave abusive relationships. Seventy to eighty percent of abused black women left or attempted to leave the relationship.5
- Women in abusive relationships need the support of friends and family. Battered black women who reported that they could rely on others for emotional and practical support were less likely to be re-abused,14 showed less psychological distress,15 and were less likely to attempt suicide.11
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AMONG BLACK MEN
- Black males experienced intimate partner violence at a rate about 62% higher than that of white males and about 22 times the rate of men of other races. Callie Marie Rennison. and Sarah Welchans, U.S. Dep’t of Just., NCJ 178247, Intimate Partner Violence (2000), available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/ascii/ipv.txt
- In a nationally representative survey conducted in 1996, 29% of African American women and 12% of African American men reported at least one instance of violence from an intimate partner.1
- Intimate partner deaths have decreased most dramatically among black men. From 1976-1985, black men were more likely than black women to be a victim of domestic homicide; by 2005, black women were 2.4 times more likely than a black male to murdered by their partners. Over this period, intimate partner homicides declined by 83% for black men vs. 55% for black women.2
- As with other abusive men, African American men who batter are higher in jealousy and the need for power and control in the relationship.5
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AMONG TEENS
- Approximately 40% of Black women report coercive contact of a sexual nature by age 18. Africana Voices Against Violence, Tufts University, Statistics, 2002, www.ase.tufts.edu/womenscenter/peace/africana/newsite/statistics.htm
- The number one killer of African-American women ages 15 to 34 is homicide at the hands of a current or former intimate partner. Africana Voices Against Violence, Tufts University, Statistics, 2002, www.ase.tufts.edu/womenscenter/peace/africana/newsite/statistics.htm
- In a study of African-American sexual assault survivors, only 17% reported the assault to police. Africana Voices Against Violence, Tufts University, Statistics, 2002 www.ase.tufts.edu/womenscenter/peace/africana/newsite/statistics.htm
- Black youth are over represented as victims of teen dating violence. In a 2003 national study of high school students, almost 14% of African American youth (vs. 7% of white youth) reported that a boyfriend or girlfriend had “hit, slapped, or physically hurt them on purpose” in the last year. Boys (13.7%) and girls (14%) were almost equally likely to report being a victim of dating violence.16
Oct
31
Domestic Violence: A local story
October 31, 2009 | Comments Off on Domestic Violence: A local story
MAY 8, 2009: JULIUS SCOTT, 74, of Dorchester was stabbed to death allegedly by his girlfriend, Verna Sewell, 64. Sewell allegedly confessed to stabbing Scott after he hit her with a brick. Sewell told police the two were having an argument and struggled over the knife, and “somehow it ended up in his chest.” In 2004, Sewell pled guilty to allegedly choking her granddaughter. At that time, a relative told police Sewell had “mental health issues and frequently drank to excess.” Scott also had a history of arrests including a charge of assaulting a previous girlfriend, which was later dismissed. Sewell pleaded not guilty to the charge of first degree murder.
Taken from “Domestic Violence Homicide Narratives,” p. 3, Jane Doe, Inc. http://www.janedoe.org/know/DV_Homicide_Narratives_Oct2008-Sept2009.pdf.
Oct
20
Domestic Violence Week (A Literary Interpretation)
October 20, 2009 | Comments Off on Domestic Violence Week (A Literary Interpretation)
You’d have to get close to see the red-purple bruises on her dark-brown skin. The impressions of his thumb in the top of her collar bone, branching out to the thick twin lines that curved, almost, to the back of her neck. She covered them with make up and remembered how she couldn’t breathe.
The other bruises could be covered with clothing. The ones on the arms she’d brought up, uselessly, to try and push him away. She’d thought, in her anger and fear, that’d she would have been stronger. That she could have done damage.
God knows, she’d tried. The words that came out of her mouth, swear and others, had been said in anger, some chosen to provoke him. Fed up, she’d gotten in his face. Had been inches from his face, screaming. How tired she was, how he was never home and couldn’t be working all the time–since there was never any money. Every cent seemed to be going to the essentials. Food. Rent. Cars. Gas. Credit Card. Heat. Light. Cable. Clothes. Loans they’d had to take out for the food, rent, cars, gas, credit card, heat, light, cable and clothes. Marcus, their son, who’d slept through the noise or stayed in his room, was two and went through clothes almost as fast as he went through diapers.
Fed up, frustrated, tired, and lonely, she’d yelled at him. Gotten in his face, called him names, accused him of things she didn’t really believe were true. (Yes, he worked late, at one temporary job after another since he’d been “downsized,” but had never given her reason to suspect he’d been unfaithful.) She wanted him to understand where she was coming from–feel the hurt, get angry, maybe, and somehow do better. Instead, his hands had wrapped themselves around her throat.
She blended the make up carefully over her bruises. She didn’t want questions. Her sisters, mother, cousins, friends, co-workers, offering advice she didn’t want to take. Saying that they would have killed him, or at least called the cops. All the while they’d be looking at her in pity and amazement, asking “how could she have chosen/stayed with/had a child by a man like that?” Thinking that the woman they knew was stronger and smarter than that, that she, and her family, had seemed to have it together.
She was strong. Strong and practical enough to see the foolishness of their suggestions. The cops? When had they ever helped anyone who looked like her? And what–restraining order? Kick him out of the house she couldn’t afford by herself? Kick Marcus’ father out of his life, and chance that he’d pay child support? Marcus needed to keep his father, and she needed to keep him too. He was a good man. He worked hard and hadn’t cheated on her. He loved her, and he loved his son. She didn’t want him out of their lives–much less in jail, another black man. A good black man.
He was a good man, and she was strong. She would talk to him about it, gently, and he would apologize. He would promise not to hurt her again, and probably wouldn’t. She, in turn, would be more supportive. She’d be nicer to him and keep her own anger in check.
Finished. Even from the short distance between herself and the mirror you couldn’t really see the bruises. To see them, you’d have to get close.
Fact As with women of other races, among African American women killed by their partner, the lethal violence was more likely to occur if there had been incidents in which the partner had used or threatened to use a weapon on her and/or the partner has tried to choke or strangle her.–American Bar Association, Commission on Domestic Violence; http://www.abanet.org/domviol/statistics.html
DNH
Oct
20
Under Pressure: Domestic Violence in the Black Community
October 20, 2009 | 1 Comment
While other problems–high incarceration rates, the education attainment gap, housing instability, disproportionate HIV rates, and violent crime in black communities — are often the topic of discussion and activism, domestic violence is rarely discussed. It should be. Domestic violence is not only as much of a problem in the black community as it is across the nation, but its a bigger problem. More frequent. More lethal.
In 2005, African Americans accounted for nearly a third of the intimate-partner homicides. For years, the (few) studies that have addressed the issue of domestic violence in the black community have told the same story. A study published in 2000 reported that Black females experienced intimate partner violence at a rate 35% higher than that of white females, and about 22 times the rate of women of other races. In 2005, black women accounted for 22% of the intimate partner homicide victims and 29% of all female victims of intimate partner homicide.
Black men are also affected. The same 2000 study found that Black males experienced intimate partner violence at a rate about 62% higher than that of white males and about 22 times the rate of men of other races. Black men are also more likely than white men to be killed by their partners, though at a lower rate than black women. In 2005, black women were 2.4 times more likely than a black male to murdered by their partners. In 2002, the number one killer of African-American women ages 15 to 34 was homicide at the hands of a current or former intimate partner.
Why the higher rates? In part, the same old reasons: poverty (intimate partner violence is more frequent among those with lower incomes); un-and-underemployment (it’s more frequent when the male partner is unemployed/underemployed); and housing disparities (its more common in couples living in poor neighborhoods). Massachusetts saw dramatic increases in rates of domestic violence between 2005-2007–probably another fun by-product of the recession. Drug and alcohol use are also linked to domestic violence.
So, in these trying times, what to do? Though it seems cliche, take care of each other. Battered black women who reported that they could rely on others for emotional and practical support were less likely to be re-abused, showed less psychological distress, and were less likely to attempt suicide. The same is true of women generally. If you are in an abusive relationship, seek support. Talk to a family member or friend and contact a local shelter or service. If you are not in an abusive relationship, be supportive–support your friends and family members and organizations that help victims of domestic violence.
In the meantime, we can and should keep working on the problems that exacerbate this one: poverty, un-and-under employment, housing disparities, etc. However, it is important to shine a light on this rarely-discussed issue. It is a matter of life and death.
Domestic Violence Shelters and Services:
https://www.cityofboston.gov/police/divisions/dv_shelter.asp
Sources: Survey of Recent Statistics,” ABA Commission on Domestic Violence, http://www.abanet.org/domviol/statistics.html; and “Fact Sheet,” Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community, University of Minnesota School of Social Work, http://www.dvinstitute.org/media/publications/FactSheet.IDVAAC_AAPCFV-Community%20Insights.pdf; Callie Marie Rennison. and Sarah Welchans, U.S. Dep’t of Just., NCJ 178247, Intimate Partner Violence (2000), available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/ascii/ipv.txt ; Africana Voices Against Violence, Tufts University, Statistics, 2002, www.ase.tufts.edu/womenscenter/peace/africana/newsite/statistics.htm ; http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/IPV-FactSheet.pdf; http://www.mass.gov/?; pageID=eohhs2pressrelease&L=1&L0=Home&sid=Eeohhs2&b=pressrelease&f=080605_domestic_violence&csid=Eeohhs2
DNH
Jun
6
Don’t Fall into the Gap…
June 6, 2009 | Comments Off on Don’t Fall into the Gap…
Despite increased spending, it seems that the seemingly perpetual achievement gap is still difficult to close…
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_12475639
Apr
8
Know Before You Go!
April 8, 2009 | Comments Off on Know Before You Go!
White supremacist meeting coming soon to an ‘undisclosed’ location near you!
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/04/08/mass_white_supremacist_meeting_canceled/#commentAnchor
Mar
2
There’s S*#t in the Meat EVERYTHING! (Lean a Little Bit Closer…Roses Really Smell Like Poo-Poo)
March 2, 2009 | Comments Off on There’s S*#t in the Meat EVERYTHING! (Lean a Little Bit Closer…Roses Really Smell Like Poo-Poo)
Mayor Menino visits tenants affected by foreclosure.
At the beginning of this decade, Eric Schlosser provided us all with an alarming wake-up call in his book Fast Food Nation—I think, by now, we all know what is (hopefully now a “was”) in the meat. As we approach the end of this decade, our eyes have been opened to yet another alarming reality about what seems to be a great American predilection for fecal matter: it isn’t just in our hamburgers, it is in everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, from those convenient little (probably now worthless and/or maxed-out) plastic cards we keep in our wallets, to our stock “portfolios,” to our mortgage agreements. It’s probably in that bottle of cheap, domestically manufactured perfume you bought your girlfriend for Valentine’s Day (it’s ok, we understand that you watched your cell cube mate get “downsized” last week and didn’t want to risk spending the money on the fancy French stuff, just in case the same fate awaits you.) Read more
Mar
2
Panic No More! Announcing BROzac: A Medication for Stress Reduction (cuz jailing Black men works even better than prozac! Hahaaaa!)
March 2, 2009 | 2 Comments
Last week the corporate law firm Latham and Watkins fired over 400 employees. This may not mean much to most, but what these white collar layoffs indicate is that even a degree from Harvard Law School won’t keep the greedy claws of the recession monster off your slice of the economic pie. As law students scan the popular law blogs to carefully track which corporate firm is laying off associates, the everyday American faces a far colder set of problems. And projections are that it will get worse before it gets better.
Paper bags ready? Inhale slowly, now exhale, and repeat. Read more