When Black History and Sexual Assault Awareness Collide

Giving Gratitude to Black Anti-Sexual Violence Activism and Organizing

It’s no secret that sexual assault has been whitewashed within our society. From movies and television shows to news stories that are blasted far and wide, we so often see white women depicted. And while white women account for a portion of sexual assaults, and this in no way minimizes their experiences, Black women, indigenous women, and women of color have been disproportionately effected by sexual assault.

Current statistics of sexual violence against Black women raise concern.

According to The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community, data proved that in the U.S., in 2018:

• 1 in 4 Black girls will be sexually abused before age 18
• 1 in 5 Black women are survivors of rape
• 38% of Black women experienced sexual violence other than rape during their lifetime
• African American girls and women 12 years and older experienced higher rates of rape and sexual assault than White, Asian, and Latina girls and women from 2005–2010
• 40% of confirmed sex trafficking survivors are Black
• 40–60% of Black women report being subjected to coercive sexual contact by age 18

These numbers did not develop overnight. In order for to better understand how to finally reduce these grave numbers, we need two things:
1. a deep understanding of the history of sexual violence upon Black women.
2. a global appreciation for Black women’s organizing efforts to end sexual violence for all persons.

The history of Black women organizing against sexual violence and what it means for current efforts to end sexual violence.

According to Gillian Greensite, Director of Rape Prevention Education at the University of California, Santa Cruz (2009),

“During slavery, the rape of enslaved women by white men was common and legal. After slavery ended, sexual and physical violence, including murder, were used to terrorize and keep the Black population from gaining political or civil rights. The period of Reconstruction from 1865 to 1877, directly following the Civil War, when freed slaves were granted the right to vote and own property, was particularly violent. White mobs raped Black women and burned churches and homes.”

One event that Greensite alludes to in their work occurred in May of 1866. Following the Memphis Riot, multiple Black women who were violently gang raped by a white-mob bravely shared their testimonies. Lucy Smith was one of those women who shared her story. At the time of the riots, Lucy Smith had been residing with an older woman — Frances Smith — who needed crutches to get around. In Lucy Smith’s account, the two women were raped by seven ‘Irishmen’ and ‘two of whom were policemen’.

Throughout the 1870s-1890s, Black women began forming organized efforts which laid the foundation for larger organizations that were to come.

Jameta Nicole Barlow, PhD, MPH (2020) recounts the story of Recy Taylor, who was assaulted and raped by seven white men while walking home from church in 1944. After her assault, the NAACP sent Rosa Parks to investigate, which led to the formation of the Committee for Equal Justice, which later became known as the Montgomery Improvement Association. It’s very likely this isn’t the first time you’re hearing Rosa Parks name, as she is most well known for refusing to give up her bus seat, which spurned the 1955 bus boycott. What came next was the Civil Rights movement, which Barlow (2020) describes emerging as, “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.” This is a fight we are still in today.

In an interview on POP with STAR, host Morgan Lamandre interviews Representative Edward ‘Ted’ James who also makes mention of this need to understand the historical investment and active role Black communities have had in ending sexual violence.

Sexual violence is only one avenue of racial injustice within the Black community.

Police brutality, medical neglect, and other forms of violence against African Americans are being perpetrated today at alarming rates. All of this can leave us feeling hopeless, helpless, and uncertain of what the future holds. You may be wondering what you can do to bring about change.

In 2020 Barlow made a list of three things that all of us can do today:

1. Become an informed ally.
2. Center Black women in your advocacy.
3. Support organizations that work on behalf of Black women in your area.

STAR is committed to anti-racism work. You can read more about our efforts here.