La Toya Jackson experienced Intimate Partner Violence through her ex-partner and manager Jack Gordon. Intimate Partner Violence (or IPV) is defined as abuse or aggression towards a partner in a romantic relationship. People can experience intimate partner violence with current or former partners/spouses. Examples of IPV behaviors include stalking, physical violence, sexual violence, and psychological aggression (such as ignoring a partner on purpose to cause them mental harm). Jackson was subjected to many different types of abuse by Jack Gordon such as controlling her finances and isolating her from her family and friends. Gordon kept Jackson afraid for her life and dependent on him by telling her that it was unsafe for her to leave him because her family wanted her dead and that they were going to kidnap her away from him.

Later it became evident that Jackson was also the victim of serious physical abuse. "When he hit me, the first time I was in shock, I just recalled my ear ringing, just ringing so hard." (ABC News, 2005) Jackson recalls. Gordon also tried to control the media’s image of Jackson, as well as what sort of performances and appearances she made for her career. Gordon was very controlling and possessive of Jackson, making her constantly afraid in her own home. When Gordon began lining up a series of jobs and photoshoots that were dramatically different from what she normally did, Jackson decided enough was enough. Gordon had arranged for her to expose herself publicly at a strip club, but Jackson refused (Levy, 1996). She went home that day and was again beaten for her ‘disobedience’. Following this, Jackson filed for divorce, as well as a domestic violence injunction. She was able to divorce Gordon in 1997 and sued him for his years of abuse under the Violence Against Women Act. In the end she reconnected with her family and friends, paid back the debt that Gordon’s abusive financial control put her in, and took charge of her career and her life once more.

It is important to remember that the severity and frequency of IPV varies depending on individual experience. It could happen only once in an isolated incident, or multiple times over the course of years. IPV is common among both men and women, with 53 million men and 61 million women reported to experience it at least once in their lifetime. During adolescence, IPV is referred to as teen dating violence. Some signs of abuse to watch out for are extreme jealousy or possessiveness, exertion of control over choices or finances, mood swings, attempts to isolate victims from family/friends, and physical harm.

Simone Biles also faced challenges confronting the domestic abuse she and many other gymnasts experienced from USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. Nassar sexually abused Biles and many other minors who had been entrusted to his care. Other gymnasts testified that the environment fostered by the adults which they should have been able to trust was emotionally abusive, which made it impossible for them to be taken seriously when asking for help. Biles and her fellow gymnasts were present at a 2018 hearing where they came before the US Senate and shared meaningful impact statements regarding the struggles they went through in trying to get the FBI to take their case seriously. “I blame the system that enabled his abuse,” Biles stated, during the hearing (BBC News, 2021). The FBI failed to take the case seriously for years, although it ultimately resulted in Nassar being sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. However, the case is still very disappointing to many of the victims of Nassar’s abuse because of the extreme apathy and negligence they experienced from the FBI and USA Gymnastics.

Black History Month is the time we take each February to celebrate the history and achievements, and legacy of African American people. During this month, HAVEN is calling attention to the barriers a person must overcome to avoid domestic violence are much harder to get around if one is a member of the Black community. It is important to acknowledge the difficulties a person of color might have when accessing HAVEN’s support services due to the lingering impact of historical oppression.

Due to a history of racialized police violence, a lot of people are hesitant to call the police for assistance. Statistically, Black men are 2.5 times more likely to be killed by a police officer than White men. As well as Black women being 1.4 times more likely to be killed than White women. Because of this high likelihood of being killed, some would rather endure the abuse than take the risk of themselves or their partner being killed. Additionally, if they do call the police for help, Black women are 80% more likely to be convicted for killing their abusive partner in self-defense. Women of color, as well as low-income women, are much more likely to be affected by mandatory arrest policies in cases of domestic violence. In addition, some domestic violence support organizations may have children removed from the home due to mandated reporting laws. "These systems create numerous barriers for survivors seeking safety. Law enforcement officials often arrest Black survivors, and police, jurors, and judges are less likely to believe Black survivors than white survivors. Racist systems put Black people at greater risk of experiencing intimate partner violence.” says the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

This makes people even more scared to ask for help because they are afraid to have their families taken away from them, which can lead to intergenerational trauma later down the road. According to the Women of Color Network, there are many different factors in communities of color which after taken into cultural context, may lead to the under-reporting of domestic violence and reluctance to ask for help to escape an abusive situation. Some of these factors may include strong personal identification with one’s role in the familial hierarchy, religious beliefs that legitimize abusive behavior and reinforce women’s victimization, strong loyalty to family/race/culture, and distrust of law enforcement due to the fear of being enveloped into a system which will not treat them fairly. Around 45% of Black women have experienced domestic violence from their partners, as well as around 40% of Black men. Black women are 6 times more likely to be killed by their partners than White women. “By intentionally denying Black people access to economic opportunities, the ability to build intergenerational wealth, healthcare, education, and a sense of safety from governmental systems, racist policies increase the prevalence of risk factors for domestic violence.” states the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

 

Resources:

https://abcnews.go.com/2020/MichaelJackson/story?id=432027&page=1#:~:text=That%20woman%20was%20the%20creation,%2C%20just%20ringing%20so%20hard.%22

https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Biles%20Testimony1.pdf

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58573887

https://www.thehotline.org/resources/abuse-in-the-black-community/

https://www.cdc.gov/intimate-partner-violence/about/index.html

https://blackhealthmatters.com/domestic-violence-and-african-americans-by-the-numbers/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/domestic-violence-against-men/art-20045149

https://womenofcolornetwork.org/docs/factsheets/fs_domestic-violence.pdf

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UQXCujALtcCBKgcu528phqz-Z4CpzpNVW4sEk-IsjXA/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QMhLytAS1xqd6A6UtOXftt5kgSnexH6s/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kZF-a0_xFC8d0YoJKqPX2hxgCY3DW7p5/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j_bhUVCJX8rdBwTBjpvHgWLuuM4AApNb/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eq-ob40k__Snufm8z0zomjlqFuu2b5Td/view?usp=sharing