February is Black History Month, a time of honoring achievements and struggles faced by blacks globally. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, more than 40% of black women have experienced intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner sexual violence and stalking in their lifetimes. Below is an informational video on how we can combat domestic violence in our communities.
Many black activists have paved the way for Centers like ours to exist in today's society, so we can continue the fight to end violence. Below are just a few organizations and advocates that fight for justice and equality for women.
Combahee River Collective
The Combahee River Collective is a collective of black feminists who have been meeting together since 1974. Their protest started in the 70s that brought attention to the ignored violence against black women.
Currently, The Combahee River Collective political statement is they are actively fighting against racial, sexual, heterosexual, and class oppression. Their duty is the development of integrated analysis, and the fact that the major systems of oppression are interlocking. As black women themselves, they see black feminism as the logical political movement to combat the manifold and simultaneous oppressions that all women of color face.
Claudia Jones
Claudia Jones was born in Trinidad and Tobago in 1915. She was a journalist, communist political activist, feminist, and black nationalist. Jones’ primary focus was on centering black women in progressive politics and creating an anti-imperialist coalition.
She brought to light the unique injustices black women were facing. Claudia Jones' movement allowed black women voices and experiences to be heard as well as brought to the forefront of political conversations.
Tarana Burke
Tarana Burke is an American activist, community organizer, and executive from the Bronx, New York, who founded the #MeToo movement in 2006. This movement was created to address the inequality of resources for women experiencing violence. The #MeToo movement has brought to light the epidemic of violence and created a community of survivors.
Ahmad Greene-Hayes
Ahmad Greene-Hayes is a writer, minister and scholar-activist who heads the Emerging Sons program at Black Women’s Blueprint.
In 2015, a group of 10 black men gathered to discuss ways to dismantle the patriarchy inside themselves and find key ways they could stand in support for black female survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence.
Greene-Hayes' is passionate about black men stepping up their efforts to prevent sexual and domestic violence.
What We can Do:
If you are experiencing any of the things listed above, here are a few things you can do:
Tell Someone: call an abuse helpline and and speak to someone trained to advise you and offer strategies based on your local laws.
Document The Abuse: As a victims of domestic violence you have the right to seek a legal order of protection. Keep records of injuries and other types of abuse.
Have A Safety Plan: Have a solid plan for yourself, if you do plan to leave. Pack bag that includes clothes, cash or credit cards, birth certificate(s), driver’s license, keys, social security card(s), passport(s), medicine, school papers, insurance documents, medical records, and custody papers.
Call 911
Help, support, and resources are available to you. Check out the resources below.
The Center for Sexual Assault Survivors: (757) 260-5260
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1 (800) 656-4673
The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1 (800) 799-7233 En Espanol: 1 (800) 787-3224
Transitions Family Violence Services: (757) 723-7774
The Center is committed to creating a world that is free from sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and human trafficking. All of our services are FREE & Confidential to all. We provide free resources to survivors of sexual violence. These resources consisted of 1-on-1 crisis counseling, groups counseling (for men and women), court and hospital accompaniments, advocacy, and 24/7 crisis hotline. By empowering, advocating, and educating our communities we can have a world free of domestic and sexual violence.
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