Page 14 <strong>September</strong> <strong>2014</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>AC</strong> <strong>Phoenix</strong> Study Finds Black Women Murdered by Men Are Nearly Always Killed by Someone <strong>The</strong>y Know Black women murdered by men are nearly always killed by someone they know and the most common weapon used is a gun, according to the new Violence Policy Center (VPC) report When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2012 Homicide Data. <strong>The</strong> annual report is being released during the week marking the 20th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which was signed into law on <strong>September</strong> 13, 1994. <strong>The</strong> study also comes in advance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October. This year’s report applies to 2012, the most recent year for which data is available. <strong>The</strong> study covers homicides involving one female murder victim and one male offender, and uses data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Supplementary Homicide Report. <strong>The</strong> report finds that black women face a disproportionate share of fatal domestic violence in America. In 2012, 468 black females were murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents, at a rate of 2.46 per 100,000. For white females murdered by males, the rate was 1.00 per 100,000. Here are some of the report’s findings related to black females murdered by males: · Where the relationship could be determined, 92 percent of black females killed by males in single victim/single offender incidents knew their killers. Eleven times as many black females were murdered by a male they knew <strong>than</strong> were killed by male strangers. Of the black victims who knew their offenders, 56 percent were wives, common-law wives, ex-wives, or girlfriends of the offenders. · Firearms, especially handguns, were the most common weapons used by males to murder black females. When the murder weapon could be identified, 57 percent of black female victims were shot and killed with guns. Within that group, 76 percent were killed with a handgun. · In homicides where the age of victims was reported, 10 percent of black females were less <strong>than</strong> 18 years old and four percent were 65 years of age or older. · <strong>The</strong> vast majority of homicides of black females murdered by males were not related to any other felony crime. Most often, black females were killed by males in the course of an argument. In cases where the circumstances could be identified, 86 percent were not related to the commission of any other felony. “<strong>The</strong> vast majority of black women murdered by men are killed not by an unknown assailant, but by someone they know — most often an intimate partner,” states VPC Legislative Director Kristen Rand. “Our report shows that black women suffer a disproportionate share of fatal domestic violence. Twenty years after the passage of the Violence Against Women Act, a great deal of work remains to be done.” “Despite progress in several states that have recently passed bipartisan bills to help keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, the shocking number of black women murdered by intimate partners in 2012 shows how far we have to go,” says Sue Hornik, executive director of States United to Prevent Gun Violence. “<strong>The</strong> 20th anniversary of VAWA is a fitting time to call for action in the states and on Capitol Hill.” Nationwide, across all races, 1,706 females were murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents in 2012, at a rate of 1.16 per 100,000. <strong>The</strong> study also ranks each state based on the homicide rate for women murdered by men. Below are the 10 states with the highest rate of females murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents in 2012: Rank State Homicide Rate, Females Murdered by Males 1 Alaska 2.57 per 100,000 2 South Carolina 2.06 per 100,000 3 Oklahoma 2.03 per 100,000 4 Louisiana 1.92 per 100,000 5 Mississippi 1.89 per 100,000 6 Nevada 1.83 per 100,000 7 Missouri 1.73 per 100,000 8 Arizona 1.70 per 100,000 9 Georgia 1.66 per 100,000 10 Tennessee 1.60 per 100,000 <strong>The</strong> study calculates the rate of women murdered by men by dividing the total number of females murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents by the total female population and multiplying the result by 100,000. <strong>The</strong> rate of black women murdered by men is calculated by dividing the total number of black females murdered by males by the total black female population and multiplying the result by 100,000. This is the standard and accepted method of comparing fatal levels of gun violence. Digest Five – Top HBCU Alumni Giving Campaigns By Staff Reports Alumni at historically Black colleges and universities nationwide are changing the narrative on philanthropy for their alma maters. Using social media, word of mouth and traditional media coverage, HBCU graduates and advocates are finding new communities of small-tomid-level donors, and making significant changes in the way we think about financial support for Black colleges. Here are some HBCU alumni giving campaigns utilizing social media to raise awareness and collect donations on behalf of their alma maters. Every Woman, Every Year Spelman College Funds Raised – $150 Million + Number of Donors – 6,400 Alumnae Giving Rate – 42 Percent Give Love Xavier Xavier University of Louisiana Funds Raised – $291,000 Number of Donors – 1,300 Alumni Giving Rate – N/A FAMU 10 For 10 Challenge Florida A&M University Funds Raised – $51,500 Number of Donors – 1,744 Alumni Giving Rate – N/A 1st to 50 Campaign Claflin University Funds Raised – N/A Number of Donors – N/A Alumni Giving Rate – 52 Percent We Are Howard Howard University Funds Raised – N/A Number of Donors – 600+ Alumni Giving Rate – N/A <strong>More</strong>house School of Medicine Professor Named President of National Medical Association By Staff Reports <strong>More</strong>house School of Medicine Professor Lawrence Sanders Jr. was recently elected as president of the National Medical Association, pledging greater focus on health care equity and accessibility. From the release: In remarks at his installation ceremony on August 5, Dr. Sanders said that the United States is in “the second transformation of medicine,” which calls for “delivering the highest value possible to each patient and family” and will require “collaboration and shared ideas” within the medical profession. Dr. Sanders also said that NMA must continue to advocate for “full implementation of health reform with a focus on Medicaid expansion.” NMA claims more <strong>than</strong> 32,000 practicing physicians as members. <strong>No</strong>rth Carolina A&T Exhibit to Honor Ronald McNair, Aerospace Legacy By Staff Reports <strong>No</strong>rth Carolina A&T State University alumnus Ronald McNair is among the nation’s most famous Black scientists and revered astronauts. Tomorrow, his alma mater will honor his legacy with a multi-media exhibit paying tribute to his work and the university’s role in American aerospace development. <strong>The</strong> exhibit will feature Dr. McNair, who died in the 1986 explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger. <strong>The</strong> display will also showcase the university’s space shuttle program, which spurred a student-created mini-laboratory used aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor in 1994. Former A&T physics professor Stuart Ahrens will keynote the program, and says his friend of more <strong>than</strong> 26 years was a constant advocate for the university. “Dr. McNair loved A&T. He returned as often as possible to interact with the students and he never forgot A&T, even when he was in orbit around the earth traveling at 18,000 miles per hour,” Ahrens shared.
Page 15 <strong>September</strong> <strong>2014</strong> <strong>The</strong> <strong>AC</strong> <strong>Phoenix</strong>