How the 2021 Violence Against Women Act Will Help Take Guns From Abusers Guilty of Domestic Violence

As Pheonecia Ratliff’s story shows, the main threat to victims of domestic violence is the prevalence of guns. Once her abusive ex-boyfriend bonded out of jail in Canton in May 2020, he could have gotten one from a friend or relative.

Perspective, Story Behind The StoryKatherine MitchellJune 15, 2021Violence against women act, VAWA, domestic homicide, domestic violence, domestic abuse, Phoenecia Ratliff, firearms, gun violence

On Mother’s Day, Native American Families Are Missing Mothers, Sisters, Aunts, Daughters, Granddaughters

Mother’s Day is a complicated holiday. There are children who have lost their mothers, and there are mothers who have lost their children. For those who have only memories, seeing Mother’s Day cards, flowers and balloons all over can be very painful.

Missing or Murdered in Indian Country, Gone Without Justice

Resplendent in her Southern Ute of Colorado garb, Diane Millich told a harrowing story. In the late 1990s, at 26, she had married a White man who she said slapped, kicked, punched and abused her emotionally, beginning on the third day of their marriage.

Perspective, Story Behind The StoryKatherine MitchellMay 4, 2021Diane Millich, tribal police, Native American, Violence against women act, VAWA, Native women, Native children, Alaska, domestic homicide, domestic violence, domestic abuse

Will the Violence Against Women Act Go On Saving Lives?

The Violence Against Women Act, first passed in 1994, makes possible local advocates’ ability to prevent and respond to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.

Perspective, Story Behind The StoryKatherine MitchellMarch 2, 2021Violence against women act, domestic abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, VAWA, The House, Ann McLane Kuster, Congress, Lizzie Fletcher, abuse, President Biden, Oliphant Decision, Senate, MCconnell

Black Lives: Do Women’s Matter as Much as Men’s?

The phrase “Black Lives Matter” was coined by a woman activist in Oakland, California, in 2003. The Black Lives Matter movement was founded by three women activists. Even so, according to the NCADV, more than 45 percent of Black women have suffered domestic violence, and more than 51 percent of Black female homicides are committed by intimate partners. So, one conference participant noted, since intimate partners usually are of the same race, “Black men are a significant danger to Black women.”

Perspective, Story Behind The StoryMeagan JustusOctober 27, 2020control, domestic violence, young women, abuse, domestic abuse, Mississippian, National Network to End Domestic VIolence, abusive situations, black lives, black lives matter, black lives women

What If He Won’t Let You Vote on Election Day?

Election Day is a mere two weeks away. In the midst of the second wave of the pandemic, our democracy remains based on every citizen’s right to vote.