Unpacking Dark Matter ~ Childhood Sexual Abuse in the Black Community
Updated Thursday, September 28, 2023, 3:00 p.m. CST
Unpacking Dark Matter
In Unpacking Dark Matter ~ Childhood Sexual Abuse in the Black Community, Dr. Rick Wallace explicitly addresses the need to confront this mammoth issue in the Black community without a filter.
As a psychotherapist, navigating the complex terrain of Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA) within the Black community has been a recurring and deeply challenging aspect of my practice. The pervasive silence surrounding this issue has created an atmosphere where the proverbial 10-ton elephant in the room is skillfully ignored, often hidden beneath the façade of strength and resilience that the community projects. The housekeepers of our culture, those who bear the responsibility of preserving its integrity, have unfortunately become adept at sweeping this atrocity under the rug. This collective denial, however, does not shield us from the profound repercussions of CSA, as its insidious effects reverberate throughout the lives of those who have endured such trauma.
It is disheartening to witness how the societal inclination to dismiss or minimize the prevalence of Childhood Sexual Abuse has led to a culture of secrecy within the Black community. Victims, both men and women, often find themselves grappling with the burden of their experiences in isolation, trapped by the fear of societal judgment and the stigma associated with discussing such taboo subjects. As a psychotherapist, my role extends beyond merely treating the individual; it involves dismantling the systemic barriers that contribute to this cycle of silence and encouraging a more open dialogue within the community.
Addressing the aftermath of Childhood Sexual Abuse requires acknowledging its profound impact on the mental, emotional, and relational well-being of survivors. The reverberations of such trauma extend far beyond the initial violation, affecting one’s self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, and overall sense of safety. By fostering an environment that prioritizes compassion, empathy, and understanding, we can begin to dismantle the walls of silence and create a space where survivors feel heard, validated, and supported on their journey toward healing.
As a society, we must confront the uncomfortable truth that Childhood Sexual Abuse is not exclusive to any particular community, and its eradication requires collective awareness and action. The Black community, in particular, stands to benefit from breaking the chains of silence that have bound survivors for too long. By acknowledging the presence of this 10-ton elephant and engaging in open conversations, we pave the way for a cultural shift—one that promotes healing, resilience, and empowerment for those who have endured the unthinkable.
When you have young Black girls giving birth to children that were sired by blood relatives, we must be prepared for the identity crisis and the devastating self-concept and self-esteem that will be the result. Imagine a young girl who is yet to discover who she is giving birth to a child that was sired by her own father. Allow me the latitude necessary to elucidate the gravity of the situation. We are talking about a young Black female giving birth to both a son or daughter and a brother or sister. This type of occurrence serves as the prologue to multitudinous pathologies and dysfunctional behavior that will become so prevalent in the community that it is embraced as part of Black culture.
In my 19th book, Born in Captivity: Psychopathology as a Legacy of Slavery, I deal with a number of pathologies that are embedded into the psyche of the Black collective, and it is hard to find one more devastating than the violation of our children and women.
The Black man has failed miserably in his responsibility to protect and cover his woman and his progeny. We have become self-consumed and narcissistic to the point of complete separation from our social and filial responsibilities as men. We have created a situation in which 75 percent of Black children will be born into a single-parent household, which is a complete reversal of the numbers from 1960.
What we must understand is that pretending that this is not an issue does not eliminate the repercussions it creates. Sweeping it under the rug only creates lumps and imbalances that we end up tripping over later. We are going to have to visit this consistently and honestly if we ever want to experience liberation truly.
There is an old African adage that states, “If there is no enemy on the inside, the enemy on the outside can do us no harm!” We cannot deny the existence of White Supremacy Racism in America and around the world, but our greatest enemy is not racism or the white race. Right now, our greatest enemy is ourselves and the internal destruction we are inflicting upon one another.
The time for change and elevation is now, but this change begins with an honest assessment of who and where we are as a collective. It begins with a commitment from Black men that we will protect the Black woman and not just those in our home but all of them. We must stand as physical protectors and spiritual covering over them, and we must be determined to love them back to life.
I say love them back to life because they have been killed on a certain level. They have had their life drained from them, and now they are simply in survival mode. They don’t trust us, and for good reason. It is up to us to rise up to the level of our design and responsibility as men and protect and nurture that which we have been entrusted with! ~ Rick Wallace, Ph.D., Psy.D.
