Thank you for taking this challenge! If this is your first day of joining us for the 14-Day Equity Challenge, welcome. If you are returning after previous engagement with the challenge, nice work! We are glad you are here.
This challenge is designed to push you out of your comfort zone, think critically about difficult topics, and grow in your understanding of the ways people and systems perpetuate (and have the power to eliminate) racism. We’re excited to invite you to this opportunity to dive deeper into racial equity and social justice.
View other challenges: Day 1 • Day 2 • Day 3 • Day 4 • Day 5 • Day 6 • Day 7 • Day 8 • Day 9 • Day 10 • Day 11 • Day 12 • Day 13 • Day 14
Day 10: Domestic Violence
In 2020, YWCA Cass Clay provided safety to 1,283 women and children at our Emergency Shelter. Of them, 86% were fleeing domestic violence. While domestic violence can be experienced by women of any race or ethnicity, women of color—especially Black and Indigenous women—are at a much greater risk in the United States.
Why might this be? Reasons vary from historical trauma to stereotypes and barriers in receiving help. Black women, who are routinely viewed as strong and resilient, might be discouraged from getting help due to this stereotype or the risk of being criminalized by the legal system. Indigenous women, many of whom live on reservations, may be at higher risk due to the ongoing effects of historical trauma—such as poverty and alcoholism—and mistrust in social services. Meanwhile, Latinas and Hispanic women are more likely to face language barriers in receiving help and threats of deportation from their abusers—barriers which Asian and Pacific Islander women also might face.
With so many cultural, social, and institutional factors impacting how women of color experience domestic violence and get help, it’s no wonder that their risks are so much greater. For today’s challenge, you’ll learn more about domestic violence towards women of color and how to speak out against it.
If you have…
Watch this video
about the prevalence of sexual violence against indigenous women
Read this article
about domestic violence against black women and the importance of culturally specific programming
Read this report
on why women of color are at greater risk of experiencing domestic violence
Reflect
Once you have completed today’s challenge, we encourage you to take a moment to reflect.
- How did the challenge make you feel?
- What is something you learned?
- Did you notice anything about yourself after taking the challenge?
- Consider sharing this new awareness with a friend or group to help deepen your understanding of the information.
Share your thoughts on the challenge online using #YWCAEquityChallenge