Courtesy of Hello Beautiful
I find it no small coincidence that Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month both fall in the month of October.
Not enough women are aware that both can kill you. Mercilessly. Quietly. Unexpectedly.
Just as “breast” softens the frightening, unforgiving sound of cancer to the masses, rendering the pink ribbons and “Save The Tatas” shirts marketable to said masses; domestic implies that the violence is tamed, expected – and to some extent, accepted – in the home. It suggests that it is anything other than nightmares steeped in male-dominated power and aggression, leaving its victims wrapped in isolation, guilt and shame.
With African-American women experiencing domestic violence at a rate 35% higher than their Caucasian counterparts, this dynamic is sadly not uncommon in our communities. We live with it, whether in our own homes, or on the sidelines of someone else’s. We feel the unspeakable pain as blows, both psychological and physical, continue to rain down on our mothers, sisters, daughters. Us.
But is it ever forgivable? Does the sage wisdom, “If he hits you once, he’ll hit you again,” always apply? Can men ever learn from the pain they inflict on the women who love them?
Continue reading at Hello Beautiful
[Photo: Shutterstock]
