New Afrikan Prisoners Domestic Crisis Intervention Initiative
BY KIJANA TASHIRI ASKARI
The bourgeois news media, and their insatiable appetite for sensationalizing our domestic problems, were at their best when they were addressing the phenomenon of the young New Afrikan Black sista/brotha Rihanna and Chris Brown’s (R & B singers) domestic situation. This practice speaks to the systemic flaws with the social system and institutions of kapitalism, because sensationalizing a social dilemma to the point of unscrupulous exploitation will not solve anything. And furthermore, to only suggest that a man should never hit a woman, as was discussed throughout media coverage of the New Afrikan sista/brotha Rihanna and Chris Brown’s situation, is not a concrete solution to this problem. Thus speaking to the principal reason as to why I’ve initiated the New Afrikan Domestic Crisis Intervention Initiative, to not only discuss the problem, but to also develop and offer the people concrete solutions to this problem.
We, as a people, have a sleeping monster amongst us, that we as a community have failed to properly recognize and address. And if we don’t do something about it soon, this sleeping monster will destroy the domestic fabric that holds us together as a nation of New Afrikan Black people (poor people in general). I am talking about the issue of ‘domestic violence/abuse’ that reigns prominent in our community, to the point where many people have become susceptible to the trappings of its vices without even knowing it. I am no different! But before I get off into that, allow me to first offer the people a viable explanation as to what domestic violence/abuse is:
Domestic violence is a pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviors including inflicting physical injury, psychological abuse, sexual assault, progressive social isolation, stalking, deprivation, intimidation, and threats. These behaviors are perpetrated by someone who is, was, or wishes to be involved in an intimate dating relationship with an adult or adolescent, and is aimed at establishing control by one partner over the other.
Now back to me. Prior to transforming my criminal ways of thinking into a revolutionary form of thinking, I was one of the many thousands of young Black males of the inner-city ghettoes who were conditioned to believe, through the colonial social system of our oppressors, that in order for me to be considered a real man, I had to be one who verbally and physically abused the woman that I was intimately involved with. Thanks to the many illustrative examples of violence that were conveniently portrayed through your typical cowboy and Indian Westerns and Blaxploitation movies and TV programs that we were exposed to as a community on a regular basis, there is practically not a single soul from the poor oppressed communities who hasn’t been made a victim of these, indoctrination practices. We all have a brotha, fatha, nephew, uncle, son, or cousin who has either verbally or physically abused somebody else’s sista, niece, daughter, auntie, motha, etc. in order to rectify what we perceived as being a wrong, to make it into a so-called right. Thus speaking to the interconnectedness, as to how the issue of domestic violence/abuse is a community problem and not an individual problem, here is a domestic violence fact to think about:
Domestic violence is a health issue of epidemic proportions in the United States. Research shows that an estimated 25 percent of women and 8 percent of men in the United States have been physically and/or sexually abused by an intimate partner at some point in their lives. In addition to injuries sustained by victims during violent episodes, physical and psychological abuse is linked to a number of adverse medical health effects. The immediate health consequences of domestic violence can be severe and sometimes fatal. The reported consequences are:
- Chronic pain syndromes, such as chronic pelvic pain, headaches and functional gastrointestinal disorders;
- Gynecological problems including STDs and exposure to HIV because of coerced sexual activity by the battering partner; and
- Pregnancy-related problems, such as prenatal fetal injury, complications of pregnancy presentation in labor without prenatal care.
So as New Afrikan Black men of the community, it is time for us to step up to the plate and be healers and protectors of our community, in particular on behalf of our beautiful New Afrikan Black sistas (and women in general), who are the nurturers and primary caregivers of our future as Black people and humanity as a whole! We must be daring, willing, and courageous enough to come together as a community, to look within ourselves for that guiding light so that we can find more positive, constructive and alternative ways to deal with this problem! There are no benefits from trying to solve our domestic problems by abusing the ones that we love and hold dear to our hearts, through violence as violence won’t cure this problem! So I’m hereby initiating the New Afrikan Domestic Crisis Intervention Initiative as a vehicular tool to effectively address this problem with the community. By doing so, I am now serving notice to my beautiful New Afrikan Black sistas and other women of the community that ‘This one New Afrikan Black brotha has your back to the fullest! And that it is definitely ok for you to speak out about any current form of domestic violence/abuse that you may be experiencing now!’ I’m here for you and you can get at me about anything.
Through the New Afrikan Domestic Crisis Intervention Initiative, the following classes/groups will be created:
- A community-based support group for those victims of former/current domestic abuse relationships, so that the success stories of former victims can be used as model examples for those current victims of domestic abuse, as I firmly believe that the first step towards solving this issue would be a willingness to talk about this issue;
- We will have classes on how to develop proper social communication skills. The significance of good communication between domestic partners is critical, in particular when trying to address concerns with one another, as poor communication between people can be a ‘trigger’ in initiating domestic abuse (e.g. ‘verbal abuse’). ‘Good’ communication skills enable people to better understand one another, thus fertilizing the seeds of harmony and happiness in a domestic relationship where people properly communicate their problems respectfully;
- Classes on self-empowerment, as it is important to know who you are as a person, historically, politically, socially, culturally, etc. People often engage in domestic abuse or find themselves in abusive relationships because they lack a true sense of ‘self-identity’ as to who they are as a person. The dynamics of physical and verbal abuse are symptomatic of this truth. However, with self-empowerment, it gives you control over yourself, thus enabling one to not have to verbally/physically abuse their domestic partners in order to feel a sense of control (power);
- Classes on self-love, as most victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse are disconnected from the spirit of their true inner selves and, as a result, they find themselves lashing out emotionally, verbally, physically, etc., thus succumbing to the tool of ‘reaction’ in desperate search to find their true selves in the heat of the moment. Where there is an absence of self love, this void is typically filled by emotions/feelings of low self-esteem, self-hatred, unworthiness, doubting themselves, a false sense of dependence on their domestic partner, letting others define their senses of self worth when they need to be doing this themselves, etc. These factors contribute to a person staying in an abusive relationship when they should’ve rid themselves of such negativity. My people, the love of self heals all wounds! With the love of self comes self respect! If a person is taught how to love themselves, they will also begin to understand the significance of self-respect, by not allowing themselves to be disrespected by their domestic partners, etc.; and
- We will also establish rites of passage classes for purposes of confronting, negating and rejecting the barbaric mannerisms, attitudes and thought processes of our oppressors that our young New Afrikan sistas/brothas have been emulating, as they’ve been forced to rely on the social institutions of imperialist amerikkka as the sole source for them to attain and learn the customary roles of what it takes to make the qualitative transition into adulthood (e.g. a New Afrikan woman/man). This is the primary contradiction as to why our young New Afrikan Black sistas/brothas remain in the quagmire of self-destruction in which these vices have become manifest in the New Afrikan Black family structure (e.g. community). We will speak to the need for us, as a people, to restore the practices of the traditional customs, values, morals and principles of our ancestors’ historical teachings of ‘the rites of passage,’ where our fellow New Afrikan Black sistas/brothas can learn how to become responsible New Afrikan Black men/women, thus restoring and advancing the legacy of all New Afrikan Black families, while also negating the corrosive effects of domestic abuse amongst our people/communities.
Under no circumstances will we seek the assistance of any law enforcement agency as an alternative in solving/dealing with this problem. The principal reason for taking this position is this; ‘It does not advance our position as a community on this matter!’ Just look around. These fascist imperialists have built hundreds, if not thousand of slave kamps (prisons), but yet the statistics of domestic violence continue to climb at an alarming rate, thus not solving anything!
Additional signs of domestic abuse: Traumatic injury or sexual assault; physical symptoms related to stress; delay in seeking care of repeat visits; unexplained multiple or old injuries; reluctance to speak in front of partner; and an overtly protective or controlling partner.
This initiative is still in its early stages of development, so the following resources are needed in order to make it into a material reality: outside facilitators and coordinators; typist; those who are able to create and have access to websites; those who have access to public radio stations; P.O. box holders; photocopiers; and most importantly your committed time and energy!
One Nation, One Goal, One Purpose!!!
For more information, contact me at:
Kijana Tashiri Askari
s/n M. Harrison
#H54077
D3-122/SHU
P.O. Box 7500
Crescent City, CA
USA 95531
www.myspace.com/dare2struggle
tashiri@gmail.corn
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