Black Femicide: The Ultimate Health Disparity

Dissecting disparities in murder rates of Black Women

In the wake of the of the murders of dentist and former First Lady of Virginia Cerina Fairfax, Coral Spring Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen, activist Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray and Pastor Tammy McCollum—along with countless others— a devastating truth remains largely unexamined: Black women in the United States are being killed at alarmingly disproportionate rates. These are not isolated tragedies. They reflect a profound and ongoing public health crisis with life-and-death consequences.

The most recent data indicates that Black women are killed at rates 2 to 3 times higher than women of other races. And these deaths are rarely the result of random violence. More than half of Black women who were murdered were killed by a current or former intimate partner, and in nearly 90% of cases, the victim knew the person who took her life.

In this episode, we confront the silence around Black women’s deaths, explore how systemic racism and gendered violence intersect to create a uniquely deadly risks. Dr. Tameka Gillum,PhD, associate professor in The University of New Mexico College of Population Health (COPH). Dr. Gillum has over 25 years of research experience in exploring and addressing intimate partner violence/dating violence (IPV/DV) within racial/ethnic minority and sexual minority populations, informing development of culturally specific prevention and intervention efforts, health clinic based IPV interventions and the mental health effects of IPV/DV victimization. Among other accomplishments, this work earned her the Outstanding Research Award from the national Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community (IDVAAC). Dr. Gillum is a community psychologist who conducts community-based research. Her most recent research includes a clinic-based intervention to address hypertension disparities and food insecurity, exploring gun violence disparities experienced by the African American community, and highlighting Black femicide disparities.

To learn more about Dr. Gillum, click here. 

More works by Dr. Gillum:

• Dr. Gillum LinkedIn

• Black Femicide in the US: The Ultimate Health Disparity

• The murder of Black women in the United States: A Public Health Crisis

• African American survivors of intimate partner violence: Lived experience and future directions for research

• Using the Socio-Ecological Model to Understand Increased Risk of Gun Violence in the African American Community

• Kenyan Community Members Perceptions of Promising Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Approaches

  
  

THIS PODCAST WILL BE AVAILABLE MAY 4.

Season 3 Episode 7

Running Time:  TBD minutes