skip to main content

Black women, the forgotten survivors of sexual assault

African American women are at disproportionate risk of sexual violence. Here’s how you can help.

By Jameta Nicole Barlow, PhD, MPH Date created: February 1, 2020 5 min read
APA Style leaf logo Cite This Article in APA Style
Barlow, J. N. (2020, February 1). Black women, the forgotten survivors of sexual assault. https://www.apa.org/topics/sexual-assault-harassment/black-women-sexual-violence

Black women, the forgotten survivors of sexual assault

The year was 1944.

Recy Taylor was walking home from a church meeting in Abbeville, Alabama with two other churchgoers when she was terrorized by seven white men in a green Chevrolet truck, snatched by them, taken to a secluded area and assaulted and raped, being told to “act like you do, with your husband or I’ll cut your damn throat.” (as told by Recy Taylor in McGuire, 2010) According to McGuire (2010), the NAACP sent their best investigator, Rosa Parks, to what was her father’s hometown to explore what happened. Her efforts resulted in the formation of the Committee for Equal Justice, which later became known as the Montgomery Improvement Association. In fact, “the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott, often heralded as the opening scene of the civil rights movement, was in many ways the last act of a decades-long struggle to protect [B]lack women, like Taylor, from sexualized violence and rape.” (McGuire, 2010; digital location 186). The social movement widely described as the Civil Rights Movement, emerged out of black women demanding control over their bodies and lives, black men being killed for protecting black women, or ultimately, the fight for black women’s bodies and agency and against white supremacist rape and assault.

Eight decades later, black women still need protection from sexual violence, despite the Civil Rights Movement. According to the National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community (PDF, 772KB)opens in new window:

  • For every black woman who reports rape, at least 15 black women do not report it.
  • One in four black girls will be sexually abused before the age of 18.
  • One in five black women are survivors of rape.
  • 35% of black women experienced some form of contact sexual violence during their lifetime.
  • 40% to 60% of black women report being subjected to coercive sexual contact by age 18.
  • 17% of black women experienced sexual violence other than rape by an intimate partner during their lifetime.

The Institute for Women’s Policy Researchopens in new window reports that:

  • More than 20% of black women are raped during their lifetimes—a higher share than among women overall.
  • Black women were two and a half times more likely to be murdered by men than their white counterparts. And, more than 9 in 10 black female victims knew their killers.
  • Black women also experience significantly higher rates of psychological abuse—including humiliation, insults, name-calling and coercive control—than do women overall.

The struggle to protect black girls and women remains. Unfortunately, black women remain vulnerable to sexual violence due to what we call intersectionality, the systematic oppression black women experience based upon their race and gender. These institutionalized practices and policies prevent their equitable enforcement. Because of what is known as the “Strong Black Woman” archetype (Beauboeuf-Lafontant, 2009), the dangerous single story told about black women that uplifts their strength, perseverance and survival and minimizes their emotional well-being, tenderness and humanity, black women are rarely protected. In fact, black women are rarely protected while:

  • Playing video games with their nephew—Atatiana Koquice Jeffersonopens in new window, a 28-year-old black American woman, was shot and killed in her home by a white American police officer in Fort Worth, Texas, while she played video games with her nephew #SayHerNameopens in new window.
  • Hanging out with friends at a park—Rekia Boydopens in new window was shot in the back of the head and killed by Dante Servin, an off-duty Chicago detective.
  • Knocking on a door to seek help after a car crash—Renisha McBrideopens in new window walked to a neighborhood in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, where she knocked on the door of a house owned by Theodore Wafer who shot her with a shotgun suspecting a break-in #SayHerNameopens in new window.
  • Being served a warrant and holding a toddler—Korryn Gainesopens in new window was shot and killed while holding her son by a SWAT team in Baltimore County, Maryland, where they were serving her a warrant for a traffic violation #SayHerNameopens in new window.
  • Giving birth to a child—Kira Johnsonopens in new window experienced severe medical negligence during her routine C-section causing massive internal bleeding and her eventual death in Los Angeles, California #BlackMamasMatter (PDF, 569KB)opens in new window, representing the high rate of maternal mortality among black women, where black mothers in the U.S. die at three to four times the rate of white mothers.
  • Sitting on the floor with their child in a crowded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program office—Jazmine Headleyopens in new window’s one-year-old was violently separated from their child by four police officers and arrested by police because of her encounter with a security guard and not having a place to sit.
  • Drinking milk from a school cafeteria—An 11-year-oldopens in new window girl with special needs was body slammed by a cop simply for taking milk from the cafeteria.
  • Unfortunately, so many more experiences of violence affecting black women with disabilities, queer and transopens in new window black women, as well as lesbian and bisexual black women. 

While not directly related to sexual violence, these stories are emblematic of the daily bias and institutionalized gendered racism black women experience when dealing with various systems such as criminal justice, education and health care. Age or vulnerability doesn’t protect us either. Many people are working hard to change these inequities by developing effective policies and practices. We already have policies to address sexual violence such as the Violence Against Women Actopens in new window, but partisan politics are currently preventing its reauthorization. What we don’t have is a critical mass willing to enforce these policies, center black women in the narrative, and act. But change can start with you. Here’s what you can do: 
  • Become an informed ally. Learn more about the relationship between colonialism and sexual violence. Consider reading more books by black women scholars who are writing about the daily lived experiences of black women, including sexual violence. #CiteBlackWomenopens in new window is a good start.
  • Center black women in your advocacy. Contact your elected officials and share this data. Ask them what they are doing specifically to improve the sexual violence experienced by black women. It may be helpful to explain how institutions contribute to gendered racism. Ask them to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Actopens in new window.
  • Support organizations that work on behalf of black women in your area. This may require you doing some research, talking with black women and allowing them to tell you what they need.

Black women should not be the forgotten survivors of sexual violence. The year is 2020. Maybe this will start another movement that will result in sustainable change for black women experiencing sexual violence.

Recommended Reading

The Heart of Mi Familia
The Heart of Mi Familia $16.99
Self-Objectification in Women
Self-Objectification in Women $29.95
Womanist and Mujerista Psychologies
Womanist and Mujerista Psychologies $76.99
Career Counseling With Diverse Racial and Ethnic Groups
Career Counseling With Diverse Racial and Ethnic Groups $89.99
Members may qualify for lower pricing

You may also like