Impact of Race on Sexual Assault Victims with My'lasia Brown

We Hear You

The discussion around sexual assault has many intersectional components and one of the most important is the impact of race. Joining us to talk about the way that the issues of race and sexual assault are related and most notably the results of this relationship, is the wonderful My'Lasia Brown! My'Lasia gives us some background to her work with Harambe, looking at her academic qualifications and the types of cases she has dealt with in her work. We look at a wide selection of examples of sexual and physical assault and our guest offers some great perspective on the sometimes surprising statistics and realities of what it means to be a black woman reporting a crime. She also talks about cases involving same-sex relationships and the added layer of the variety of sexual identities and orientations in violent and abusive crimes. My'Lasia very articulately lays out one of the foremost dilemmas facing black women in abusive relationships; who can be called to help when law enforcement has proven to also be a danger to the black community? This leaves a survivor effectively having to choose between being a woman and being black and our guest unpacks how challenging this path can be. We also talk about the issue of being believed, victim-blaming, and the progress that still needs to be made in our education around these issues. This is a powerful and pertinent conversation that you are not going to want to miss, be sure to tune in with us!

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Harambe Social Services

Harambe Phone Number — 609-225-6936

BuzzSprout

Stockton College

Governor Murphy

Suicide Prevention Hotline — 1-800-273-TALK

Domestic Violence Hotline— 1-800-799-7233

Harambe Social Service on Facebook

Harambe Social Service on Instagram