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WARNING: Due to the sensitive nature of this topic, pseudonyms were substituted for actual names, to protect the victims and their families. Moreover, explicit sexual language is displayed throughout portions of this commentary, reminiscent of the theme.
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Chaos of Realms: Unraveling Incest in the African-American Community
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I remember the first time I felt totally helpless. I was five and my teenage cousin was raping me. Lying there, all I remember were the posters on the wall, colorful and strange images that distracted me from what was taking place.
As my eyes darted around the room, I couldn’t understand what was happening or why it was happening, but I knew that it was wrong. Thus, as my cousin hovered above me, groaning with pleasure, all I could think was, what did I do to deserve this?
-Tina D- Incest Survivor -
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Much of the history regarding incest in the African-American community starts with the misguided assumption that such behavior is uncommon. However, Melba Wilson, a victim of sexual abuse and author of Crossing the Boundary: Black Women Survive Incest, says this heinous crime “occurs as it does in all other cultures, but no one wants to talk about it.” In researching this commentary, certain hypothesis will be presented, that may prove instrumental in unraveling this recognizable but rarely talked about topic. These areas include:
Fortunately, each subtext can be presented in different ways, depending on which data one looks at and how that data is interpreted. As this article demonstrates, there are many aspects of the Incest Abnormality. Therefore, it is difficult to determine whether the inclusion of facts, candid dialogue, and actual case histories will result in the changing of attitudes on behalf of the African-American community and researchers of Euroamerican origin who’ve traditionally excluded Blacks from childhood sexual abuse studies. This expose is an attempt to review the existing data and draw conclusions.
In obtaining a better understanding of Blacks and Incest, it is essential that all factors, good, bad and indifferent are brought to the surface and looked at honestly, in comparison to similar articles which focus solely on the psychological impact.
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