Speaking to a crowded Natural Science Auditorium, Tricia Bent-Goodley presented the 9th annual Tamara Williams Memorial Lecture last night, “Understanding Intimate Partner Violence and Why Race Matters.”
Goodley, a professor at Howard University and author of “The Ultimate Betrayal: A Renewed Look at Intimate Partner Violence,” spoke about the need for effective communication between different groups to lead to the end of domestic violence.
The event was sponsored by the Center for the Education of Women, the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center, University Housing, the School of Social Work, Abuse Hurts and University Human Resources.
Tamara Williams, the namesake of the lecture, was a student and single mother studying in the School of Social Work. In 1997, Williams was stabbed to death by her boyfriend in the Northwood apartments.
The memorial began with a slideshow commemorating Williams. The slideshow included quotes from William’s family and friends expressing their sorrow and how they coped with the tragedy in addition to a montage of photos of Williams’s life
Peter Logan, the communications director of University Housing, said that the event is dedicated to preserving William’s memory and helping to raise awareness of domestic violence in order to prevent future domestic abuse cases.
“We are here tonight to remember Tamara. Tamara was a student, a mother, a daughter, a co-worker, a friend, and a neighbor,” Logan said. “She was part of our University community when her life was tragically, brutally ended.”
“That violence that took her life was felt very profoundly by this campus community,” Logan added. “To honor her memory this program was created several years ago to raise awareness of domestic and dating violence. Thereby this increased public knowledge and involvement of the prevention of domestic violence.”
Goodley said domestic violence was cited as the number one public health issue for African American women by the Black Women’s Health Imperative. Goodley added that black women experience victimization at a rate 35 percent greater than white women and 22 percent greater than other women of color.
Goodley said that lack of understanding of this issue can hinder communication between the different social groups.
“We have to think about how we define domestic violence,” Goodley said. “If we don’t know how a community defines something, if we don’t know how they understand it, there is no way that we should be helping … Because you don’t even know the framework that you are working with.”
For instance, Goodley said some women do not like to be identified as “victims” or “battered women” because they don’t think that these words apply to them. Goodley dispelled the myth that “a strong black woman” can handle everything on her own without help or support.
Goodley said that there are some aspects of modern society that increase the chances for a black woman to experience domestic violence. She said many people of color do not trust the criminal justice system because a disproportionate number of African Americans imprisoned as compared to other races.
Understanding different social identities and recognizing that all are effected by domestic violence is important, she added.
Goodley concluded by saying that men want to and should be involved in finding a solution to violence against women.
“There is not just room for men, but it is required,” she said.
Holly Rider-Milkovich, the director of Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center, said the lecture commemorated Williams in addition to seeking to positively impact the University campus.
“This event is incredibly important to our community,” Rider-Milkovich said. “This is a time when we reflect on Tamara’s death and then seek to move from that place of violence and her loss to create a more positive campus environment.”
LSA sophomore Willa Adamo said the lecture “was very down-to-earth. I’m not a social work major but she made it applicable to real life and everyday interactions with people.”