She Just Needs a Good Shaking: Examining our Attitudes toward Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence in the Black Community

In this essay I am examining the attitudes surrounding sexual assault and domestic violence perpetrated against Black women. When the Rihanna and Chris Brown story first broke I was very taken aback by how people responded. I was particularly bothered by the response of young people, especially the teenage girls who rushed to the defense of Chris Brown and blamed Rihanna for her assault. Some of these reactions can be heard here:

http://www.youthradio.org/news/youth-react-chris-browns-alleged-assault-rihanna

These reactions and attitudes were reminiscent of much (not all) of the feedback I received when I shared my personal experience of sexual assault with some people I had trusted at the time. The connection was very striking so I use some of my personal experience to introduce the topic and refer back to it periodically throughout the essay. I also provide some historical background because I believe it lays the foundation for the current mainstream attitudes towards Black women who have been victimized. I demonstrate how there is often a lack of mainstream media coverage, as in the recent case of the Imperial Avenue murders in Cleveland, or when the media does cover this issue, the responses and conversations about it are often negative towards the survivor. It is my belief that the negativity and victim blaming contribute to the silencing of survivors, leading to under-reporting of incidents. To conclude, I offer a few possible starting points for solutions and note that projects such as No! The Rape Documentary, directed by Aishah Shahidah Simmons, will be vital for helping to change how we talk and think about sexual assault and domestic violence in the Black community.

Here is a trailer of No! The Rape Documentary:



My essay:

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