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A post for every mother, sister, daughter, and friend who deserves to be here.
There’s a crisis happening in our community, and too many people still don’t know its name.
Black femicide — the murder of Black women and girls — is one of the most devastating and underreported public health emergencies in America today. If you’ve never heard that term before, that’s part of the problem. Because what doesn’t get named doesn’t get addressed.
As a Black mom, this issue hits close to home. We raise our daughters to be strong. We pray over them. And then we watch the news. So let’s talk about what’s really going on — and what we can actually do about it.
The Numbers Are Devastating
In the United States, Black women are six times more likely to be murdered than their white counterparts, according to a Columbia University study. Narcissistic Abuse Rehab
Black women make up just 14% of the U.S. female population but account for over 31% of all females killed by males. Narcissistic Abuse Rehab And here’s the part that should shake all of us: a Columbia University/Lancet study found that Black women’s femicide rate remained more than four times higher than white women’s across a full two-decade study period — meaning two decades of policy produced no net improvement. Narcissistic Abuse Rehab
According to the CDC, 1,821 Black women and girls were murdered in 2020 in the United States alone. Connecticut Children’s And the violence cuts across every age — from children to senior citizens.
Who Is Behind These Killings?
This isn’t random stranger violence. Black female victims are three times more likely to be murdered by someone they know. Connecticut Children’s The driving force is intimate partner violence.
Approximately one-third of Black femicides are committed by intimate partners or family members, while another 16% involve friends or acquaintances. Narcissistic Abuse Rehab
And if you are pregnant or recently postpartum, the risk multiplies terrifyingly: pregnant Black women are 11 times more likely to be victims of femicide. Connecticut Children’s Homicide is one of the leading causes of maternal death in America — a fact that falls disproportionately on Black women.
Why Is This Happening?
There’s no single cause. It’s a web of connected systems that fail Black women at every turn.
Structural racism and economic inequality. Structural racism is a key factor driving these disparities, with historical legacies contributing to concentrated disadvantage in certain communities. Narcissistic Abuse Rehab When women lack economic resources, leaving an abusive relationship becomes much harder. Those living in poverty have a higher likelihood of facing victimization due to lack of money or resources to escape their abusers safely. Connecticut Children’s
The “Strong Black Woman” trope. The “Strong Black Girl” trope is a race-gender stereotype that describes expectations for Black women such as strength and resilience, always caring for others, even at the expense of their own lives. Connecticut Children’s When Black women and girls are seen as inherently unbreakable, their pain gets dismissed — by communities, institutions, and sometimes even themselves.
Institutional bias and policing failures. The lack of urgency around intervention and the overall lack of emergency attached to femicide will always hurt Black women the most. Ed Bias in law enforcement means calls for help go unanswered, warning signs go ignored, and cases go unsolved.
Media silence. There is a general underreporting of femicide, specifically in the case of Black women. Ed Missing white woman syndrome is real — and when Black women go missing or are killed, it rarely breaks through the news cycle. What doesn’t make headlines doesn’t create public pressure.
Technology-facilitated abuse. A recent UN report highlights how technology-facilitated violence — including cyberstalking, coercive control, and image-based abuse — can be a risk factor that escalates offline and, in some cases, leads to femicide. ONU Mujeres
This Is Happening Right Now
These are not distant statistics. This is this week.
On April 15, Dr. Cerina Fairfax — a dentist, a mother of two, and a beloved member of her Virginia community — was murdered in her own home by her estranged husband, former Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax, who then took his own life. Washingtonian Their teenage son and daughter were home when it happened. It was their son who called 911. NBC4 Washington
The couple had been separated and living in the same home for two years, trapped by the same economic reality that keeps so many women tethered to dangerous situations — they simply couldn’t afford to live apart. Washingtonian A judge had finally ordered him out by the end of April. He didn’t wait.
What followed her death was almost as painful as the death itself. By noon, the man who killed her was being eulogized by former colleagues as “smart,” “thoughtful,” and a “gracious individual.” TheGrio Posts addressed him as a dear brother. Cerina — the dentist with her own practice, the mother, the thriving member of her community — was getting lost. TheGrio The internet had to fight to bring her back to the center of her own story.
Then, four days later, on April 19, a man in Shreveport, Louisiana killed eight children — execution-style — seven of them his own, ranging in age from 3 to 11. Five of the eight were girls. Their mothers were also shot. CBS News The couple was due in divorce court the very next morning. CBS News
Two incidents. One week. Black women and their children paying the price for men who would rather destroy than let go.
Domestic violence is the number one cause of homelessness for women in this country. And the time of separation — when a woman tries to leave — is statistically the most dangerous time of all. Washingtonian We keep asking why she didn’t leave. We need to start asking why he was allowed to stay dangerous.
What Can We Do?
This is where I refuse to leave you. Because awareness without action is just grief.
1. Say her name — loudly and often. Talk about this in your home, your church, your group chats. Awareness of this public health crisis has remained low among feminist movements, news media, law enforcement, and community organizations. Connecticut Children’s We have to change that from the ground up.
2. Know the warning signs of IPV. Isolation from family. Controlling behavior around finances. Escalating jealousy or surveillance. False accusations designed to flip the script. These are not “relationship problems” — they are danger signs.
3. Support Black-led organizations. Look up Black Femicide U.S., the Black Femicide Prevention Coalition, and local domestic violence organizations with culturally specific services. Donate, volunteer, and amplify their work.
4. Push for policy and accountability. Advocates and domestic violence survivors have called on local officials, police agencies, and others to do more to protect Black women. Chicago Crusader Contact your local representatives. Demand funding for domestic violence shelters and prevention programs in Black communities.
5. Create a safety culture in your community. Check on your neighbors. Believe women when they tell you something is wrong. Be the person who makes the call. Be the person who offers a couch. Sometimes that is literally life-saving.
6. Talk to your children. We raise our daughters to be careful. We also need to raise our sons to understand consent, healthy relationships, and accountability. This work starts at home.
We Deserve to Live
Violence against women and girls is not inevitable — it is preventable. Chicago Crusader But prevention requires all of us showing up: as mothers, as community members, as voters, as people who refuse to look away.
Black women built this country. We are raising the next generation. We deserve protection, safety, and the full weight of the world’s outrage when we are harmed.
If you or someone you know is in danger, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 (available 24/7, call or text).
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