A deadly pattern: Violence against Black women raises alarm nationwide

By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to The AFRO

Brutal cases of domestic violence in the Black community have rocked the nation in recent weeks, highlighting a need to understand the root cause of intimate partner violence and how to prevent it.

On April 1, Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen, of Coral Springs, Fla.was found dead in her home after missing a meeting. Her husband, Stephen Bowen, 40, was arrested and charged with first-degree premeditated murder. Officials reported that after a domestic violence encounter, Bowen reportedly admitted he had a “panic attack” and shot his wife because he “couldn’t take it anymore.” 

On April 16, former Virginia Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax, 47, killed his estranged wife, Dr. Cerina Fairfax, 49, in a murder-suicide at their home in Amandale, Va., according to Fairfax County Police. Justin Fairfax was scheduled to vacate the home at the end of the month. 

The couple’s teenage son, who was in the house along with his sister at the time of the shooting, found his parents’ bodies.  

Just a few days later, on Sunday, April 19, in Shreveport, La., Shamar Elkins, 31, a Louisiana Army National Guard killed eight children, ages 3 to 11, and injured two women in a mass domestic violence tragedy. Seven of the eight children killed were his own. The eight child was a cousin of Elkins’ children. 

Elkins was shot and killed by police after attempting to escape following what police describe as a targeted “execution style” attack.  The veteran was reportedly upset that he was facing divorce proceedings as a result of his infidelity, and had sought treatment for mental health challenges in the months leading up to the killings. 

Disturbing trends of domestic violence put more Black families at risk

Recent data published by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (www.ncadv.org) reveals disturbing changes within the Black community. 

Studies have found that 45.1 percent of Black women and 40.1 percent of Black men have experienced intimate partner physical or sexual violence and/or intimate partner stalking in their lifetime.

Roughly 31.8 percent of Black women and 16.8 percent of Black men have experienced one or more of the following violence-related impacts: being fearful, concerned for safety, any post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, injury, need for medical care, housing services, victim advocate and/or legal services, and missed at least one day of work or school.

An estimated 51.3 percent of Black adult female homicides are related to intimate partner violence. Black women had the highest rate at 2.55  per 100,000 for female/male offender homicides, in 2017. 

“The killings of Black women by current or former partners are devastating on their own, but what has also stayed with me is how often Black women’s vulnerability gets minimized, even in death, and how quickly the story can shift away from the woman and toward the man,” said Dr. Uché Blackstock, author and founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity, via her social media platform.

“The data reflects that clearly, too. Black women experience disproportionately high rates of intimate partner violence and are more likely to be killed by a current or former partner than women in other groups,” Blackstock said. “This is a painful conversation, but it is one we need to have. Black women live at the intersection of racism and sexism, and that reality shapes how harm is experienced, how it’s understood, and too often how it’s overlooked.”

Blackstock, a mother of two boys, continued, saying that “loving Black men and telling the truth about the harm Black women experience are not opposing acts. We can love our community and still be honest about what must change. Black women deserve safety, tenderness, and to be fully seen.”

While the memorials grow for the victims, and resources for domestic violence make the rounds, within the Black community, there has been much debate over how much focus should be placed on the Black male mental health aspect of the recent violence. 

While some have expressed disdain for any talk of Black male mental health when Black men–in these cases– are the perpetrators, others say the violence shown is directly related to the state of mental health for Black men and the factors that are deteriorating their emotional and mental well being. 

Dr. Evan Auguste, a clinical and forensic psychologist, and assistant professor of psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY), specializes in Black liberation psychology, and focuses on racial trauma and the effects of structural anti-Blackness.

“When we talk about mental health and mental illness, we must look beyond the heinous crimes that have recently occurred,” Auguste said, during a YouTube conversation with the media.  “It’s the culture, the values and the attitudes of a given society which shape the definitions and the behavior. In America, the dominant culture of patriarchy also impacts African-American men and by extension, their wives and children. So, as the overarching society asserts that men are supposed to own women and children, that becomes the narrative.”

Auguste said that “when Black men are unable to secure higher education or employment opportunities, often due to racism, the distress they experience often leads to despair. As their attempts to seek stability and health for themselves and their families are thwarted, they often fall into depression. Violence soon follows within the home.”

“Femicide is patriarchy’s most extreme outcome and it occurs because men, Black or White, view a woman’s attempt to leave the relationship as a threat to their status. She’s trying to escape ownership – something which cannot be tolerated,” Auguste concluded. 

Licensed social worker and family advocate counselor, Zazel-Chavah O’Garra, also weighed in.

“The reality in America is that patriarchy rules – men are supposed to be in charge and they believe that what they say goes,” said O’Garra. “That’s been the prevailing societal norm since the founding of this country but it’s also the norm on a global scale. Unfortunately, when left alone in their self-created bubble, and alone with their thoughts, problems increase and with more intensity.” 

O’Garra said “the Justin Fairfax murder-suicide is an example of the difficulty Black men, particularly those in powerful positions, experience when the lifestyle to which they’ve grown accustomed comes crashing down around them.” 

The former lieutenant governor’s hopes for becoming a political star were dashed when allegations of harrassment and sexual assault came to light in 2019. 

Dr. Ural H. Hill, a licensed professional counselor, believes that after facing stressful, life-changing situations as a minority in America, some find it “impossible to cope.” 

Hill identified several signals that one should look for if there is concern that a friend or relative may be suffering from mental illness.

“Sudden changes in personality or self-isolation, especially changes in drinking habits, should not be ignored,” said Hill, who advises his clients to use self-assessment charts as a first step toward identifying the kinds of mental health problems from which they may be suffering.

“Black men just don’t take care of themselves, are reluctant to seek professional help, and often turn to violence far more frequently than others to resolve issues from which they feel overwhelmed. But they need to realize that there are plenty of resources available, many for free, and that mental health challenges can happen to anyone. They should not be ashamed to seek help.” 

Still, others, like Pamela Tate, executive director of Black Women Revolt, say the mental health concerns facing Black men shouldn’t be taken as an excuse for the recent heinous crimes. 

“To say they’re mentally ill, that doesn’t cut it,” Tate told The Associated Press. “There are people who are depressed or people who have schizophrenia and don’t harm their partners, much less kill them.” 

Tate said that mental health challenges could have plagued Shaneiqua Elkins and Cerina Fairfax, but neither of them resorted to murder even though they “had the same access or ability to go and purchase a gun.” 

“Their mental illness is not what we’re talking about here,” she said.

If you are in crisis, contact The National Domestic Violence Hotline, 800-799-SAFE, or visit www.TheHotline.org. 

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