It’s about Time That We Listened: Black Women’s Resilience in the Face of Intimate Partner Violence

Black women are at heightened risk for intimate partner violence and murder by an intimate partner. For these women, the relationships between race, gender, and class and its impact within larger society are reinforced by threats to their survival within their own homes. This qualitative study queries contributors to Black women’s resilience. Applying Black feminist theory as an analytical framework that fosters insights from the experiences of six Black women with histories of intimate partner violence, we highlight tools that aid in the survival and navigation of intimate partner violence. With resilience as the topic of inquiry, we illustrate three prominent categories: contributors to resilience, endurance strategies, and self-defining features of resilience. The results highlight important considerations that may support the building of collaborative counseling relationships that reflect strength-based, culturally relevant, and trauma-informed service for Black women with histories of intimate partner violence.