06/07/2026
It’s a hard truth, and one that makes too many people uncomfortable, 𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 Black men. But the reality is that Black women and girls are often the easiest targets because we are the least protected. And this isn't just a feeling; predators from outside our community have openly admitted to targeting us because they know authorities will likely dismiss the case or fail to conduct a thorough investigation.
But what is even more devastating is that our own community has done a terrible job of protecting us. Too often, when violence happens to a Black woman or girl, the first reaction from within our own ranks is to find a way to blame her.
And before someone rushes to the comments with the proximity argument, save it! Yes, proximity plays a significant role in violence against women and girls broadly. That is not in dispute. What is in dispute is the refusal to acknowledge that proximity-related violence occurs at a deeply disproportionate rate when Black women and girls are the victims and Black men and boys are the perpetrators. The numbers are not subtle. According to the Violence Policy Center's analysis of 2020 homicide data, 91 percent of Black female homicides were intraracial—meaning the perpetrator was also Black. Nine out of ten Black women murdered by men were killed by someone they already knew, most commonly a spouse, intimate partner, or family member. Black women make up roughly 14 percent of the U.S. female population, yet in 2023 they accounted for nearly 30 percent of all women murdered by men in this country. The overall homicide rate for Black women was 11.6 per 100,000—compared to 3.0 per 100,000 for white women, according to Columbia University researchers. In some states, that gap is even more staggering: in Wisconsin in 2019-2020, Black women were twenty times more likely to be murdered than white women. More than four in ten Black women will experience physical violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime, and over 20 percent will be r**ed—rates higher than those of any other group of women in this country. So no, proximity is not a deflection that works here. The data makes clear that we are not talking about a general pattern of proximity-based violence; we are talking about a specific and documented crisis in which Black women and girls are being killed and violated overwhelmingly by the men closest to them.
To the Black folks who only find their voice when the perpetrator isn't Black: you are proving the point. Where is that endless commentary, that outrage, and that demand for justice when a Black man or boy commits horrific acts against a Black woman or girl? Instead, some would rather come to my page and try to drag me into a pointless argument about "who does what," completely ignoring the fact that Black women face disproportionately high homicide rates despite being a small percentage of the population. Make that make sense.
The uncomfortable truth is that Black men commit a disproportionate amount of violence against Black women and girls, and there is a collective refusal to deal with that reality. I am not interested in optics. I am not concerning myself with what other communities or people are doing. My focus is on the Black community and our specific ills. If focusing on us, without the constant deflection and whataboutism, doesn't sit right with you, then you need to reconcile that within yourself. It is okay to focus on our own house.
Stay safe and protect your peace.
