DrBanneker
Space is the Place
I tried not to make this post long, really (skip to numbered main points points below if you don't want to read all this shyt)
I first made a thread with this data back in 2018 when the whole "toxic masculinity" thing was big. I don't post this to claim that Black women's lives are just peachy and they complain too much. There are a myriad of dangers women face on a daily basis men just don't have to. These dangers are often compounded for Black women. I do not dispute they face these things.
However, I find too many recent media rhetoric and "thought pieces" based on the idea that Black men have violated some idealized social compact within the Black community vis-a-vis Black women and so now, every atrocity and violation is not just a sad story or the fault of an man that should be condemned, rather it is some sort of collective failing or abrogation of responsibility by Black men (plural). As I have said in another thread, other groups of men never get accused like this. White men aren't shamed for the Ted Bundy's or other maniacs killing White women. The exception is if attacks are coming from an outside group of men and I don't see these Twitter warriors begging Black men to save them from White or other races of men.
In the larger context though, which is still imperfect, it is a good question to look at how violence trends in our community. It is sadly, staggeringly high and most of us know this. Like all groups women suffer less than men. Black women are more victimized than say, White women, but it is hard to use this as an accusation since Black men have an even worse disparity in homicide.
I don't want to write a book (@Booksnrain ) here so I will summarize my points and then list the info. My big question is this: if trends improve for Black women, do Black men get any credit? I mean if their homicide and sexual assault trends in the right direction, does this mean we are doing better or is it all due to Black women's pluck (despite Black men). Then when trends go bad is it all due to Black men despite Black women's virtues? If these are the arguments that are going to be made it is a no win for us and I ask any honest Black women to ask themselves if they really want to engage us to better ourselves and our community or just make us the villain for some BS "morality" tale.
MAIN POINTS
1. Despite a recent uptick from a low of 2010, Black women of all ages 15-44 face a lower per capita homicide rate than any time in the last 70 years back to 1950.
2. Even if part of that decline was due to an overall decline in crime affecting Black men and women, the ratio of Black men to Black women killed per capita has grown over the same period; this shows that Black women are seeing additional improvements to their safety over and beyond Black men while crime has dropped. Otherwise, the ratio should stay constant.
3. Reported sexual assault leading to arrest (though probably underreported at least 3x) has dropped over 30% from the 1990s per capita. The only issue is the rate for White women dropped faster, but the rate still went down.
4. Black men are not the leading killer of Black women, even younger Black women. Since 2010 the lower rates of homicide have been overtaken by vehicle deaths for younger Black women (now nearly identical to White women).
There are things that are going not so well though.
5. Though Black suicide is much lower than Whites (the reverse of homicide almost), Black women are losing ground both in per capita suicide rates at young (15-24) ages and in the number of suicides relative to White women and Black men.
If there are women in your life and you are worried about their mental health, please support them and get them help.
6. Violence toward Black women is still too high but this is part of being Black I hate to say. Black women and Black men are not going to see their situations solved separately. The sooner we realize this the better.
DATA FOR POINT #1 & 2
You can see the overall trend below for White women, Black women, and Black men. Yes our stats are sadly high but BW have trended better and the recent jump is not as extreme as for Black men.
Noticeably for Black women, in 1980 about 4.5 Black men per capita were killed for every Black women that was killed per capita. Now it is closer to 9 Black men dying in homicide for each Black woman on comparative per capita rates. Crime is down a lot since 1980 but Black women have had additional improvement widening the relative homicide gap. Comparing Black women and White women's relative homicide rates (per capita) it hasn't changed much for 15-24 year olds (about 4 Black women dying per capita from homicide for every White woman per capita) but for 25-44 year olds it dropped from 5.4 to 3 since 1980. If these numbers sound bad, trust me ours as men have numbers that are much worse.
DATA FOR POINT #3
I hesitated to put this in since sexual assault is notoriously underreported (by a factor of at least 3) but even with improved trends in reporting the known incidence for Black women is greatly improved. Again, do we deserve any credit? The only problem I see here is that White and Black women had similar numbers in the mid-90s but White women saw their numbers drop faster.
Source: https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/fvsv9410.pdf
DATA FOR POINT #4
Vehicle fatalities have now overtaken homicide as the leading cause of death of young Black women at 10.3 vs. 9.2 deaths per 100,000 for 15-24 year olds (unintentional accidents is probably in the top 3 too but I am not sure of its rank)
DATA FOR POINT #5
Suicide is one thing clearly trending badly for all Black people but worse for young women. The relative rates for those above 25 have not changed much between Black Women, Black Men, and White Women but under 24 is clearly trending badly with Black women possibly coming to parity with White women in a decade. Suicide is worse for men but compared to a ratio of 5.4 Black men to Black women committing suicide (per capita) in 1980 it is now down to 3.7--along with higher rates of incidence.
If you love the Black women you know, don't joke about their mental health, I never thought Black girls would kill themselves like White girls but the ratio has gone from a 2x for White women to 1.4 since 1980 for young women.
#6 should be self-explanatory.
I first made a thread with this data back in 2018 when the whole "toxic masculinity" thing was big. I don't post this to claim that Black women's lives are just peachy and they complain too much. There are a myriad of dangers women face on a daily basis men just don't have to. These dangers are often compounded for Black women. I do not dispute they face these things.
However, I find too many recent media rhetoric and "thought pieces" based on the idea that Black men have violated some idealized social compact within the Black community vis-a-vis Black women and so now, every atrocity and violation is not just a sad story or the fault of an man that should be condemned, rather it is some sort of collective failing or abrogation of responsibility by Black men (plural). As I have said in another thread, other groups of men never get accused like this. White men aren't shamed for the Ted Bundy's or other maniacs killing White women. The exception is if attacks are coming from an outside group of men and I don't see these Twitter warriors begging Black men to save them from White or other races of men.
In the larger context though, which is still imperfect, it is a good question to look at how violence trends in our community. It is sadly, staggeringly high and most of us know this. Like all groups women suffer less than men. Black women are more victimized than say, White women, but it is hard to use this as an accusation since Black men have an even worse disparity in homicide.
I don't want to write a book (@Booksnrain ) here so I will summarize my points and then list the info. My big question is this: if trends improve for Black women, do Black men get any credit? I mean if their homicide and sexual assault trends in the right direction, does this mean we are doing better or is it all due to Black women's pluck (despite Black men). Then when trends go bad is it all due to Black men despite Black women's virtues? If these are the arguments that are going to be made it is a no win for us and I ask any honest Black women to ask themselves if they really want to engage us to better ourselves and our community or just make us the villain for some BS "morality" tale.
MAIN POINTS
1. Despite a recent uptick from a low of 2010, Black women of all ages 15-44 face a lower per capita homicide rate than any time in the last 70 years back to 1950.
2. Even if part of that decline was due to an overall decline in crime affecting Black men and women, the ratio of Black men to Black women killed per capita has grown over the same period; this shows that Black women are seeing additional improvements to their safety over and beyond Black men while crime has dropped. Otherwise, the ratio should stay constant.
3. Reported sexual assault leading to arrest (though probably underreported at least 3x) has dropped over 30% from the 1990s per capita. The only issue is the rate for White women dropped faster, but the rate still went down.
4. Black men are not the leading killer of Black women, even younger Black women. Since 2010 the lower rates of homicide have been overtaken by vehicle deaths for younger Black women (now nearly identical to White women).
There are things that are going not so well though.
5. Though Black suicide is much lower than Whites (the reverse of homicide almost), Black women are losing ground both in per capita suicide rates at young (15-24) ages and in the number of suicides relative to White women and Black men.
If there are women in your life and you are worried about their mental health, please support them and get them help.
6. Violence toward Black women is still too high but this is part of being Black I hate to say. Black women and Black men are not going to see their situations solved separately. The sooner we realize this the better.
DATA FOR POINT #1 & 2
You can see the overall trend below for White women, Black women, and Black men. Yes our stats are sadly high but BW have trended better and the recent jump is not as extreme as for Black men.
Noticeably for Black women, in 1980 about 4.5 Black men per capita were killed for every Black women that was killed per capita. Now it is closer to 9 Black men dying in homicide for each Black woman on comparative per capita rates. Crime is down a lot since 1980 but Black women have had additional improvement widening the relative homicide gap. Comparing Black women and White women's relative homicide rates (per capita) it hasn't changed much for 15-24 year olds (about 4 Black women dying per capita from homicide for every White woman per capita) but for 25-44 year olds it dropped from 5.4 to 3 since 1980. If these numbers sound bad, trust me ours as men have numbers that are much worse.
DATA FOR POINT #3
I hesitated to put this in since sexual assault is notoriously underreported (by a factor of at least 3) but even with improved trends in reporting the known incidence for Black women is greatly improved. Again, do we deserve any credit? The only problem I see here is that White and Black women had similar numbers in the mid-90s but White women saw their numbers drop faster.
Source: https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/fvsv9410.pdf
DATA FOR POINT #4
Vehicle fatalities have now overtaken homicide as the leading cause of death of young Black women at 10.3 vs. 9.2 deaths per 100,000 for 15-24 year olds (unintentional accidents is probably in the top 3 too but I am not sure of its rank)
DATA FOR POINT #5
Suicide is one thing clearly trending badly for all Black people but worse for young women. The relative rates for those above 25 have not changed much between Black Women, Black Men, and White Women but under 24 is clearly trending badly with Black women possibly coming to parity with White women in a decade. Suicide is worse for men but compared to a ratio of 5.4 Black men to Black women committing suicide (per capita) in 1980 it is now down to 3.7--along with higher rates of incidence.
If you love the Black women you know, don't joke about their mental health, I never thought Black girls would kill themselves like White girls but the ratio has gone from a 2x for White women to 1.4 since 1980 for young women.
#6 should be self-explanatory.
I'll think about it...
