UCLA Journal of Gender and Law

Black women in the United States have endured centuries of race- and gender-based violence, unable to find refuge in neither their communities nor the law. This paper will discuss police violence through the lens of Black feminist theory by first giving a historical review of state-sanctioned violence in Black communities; then, examining violence done to Black women through a Black feminist framework; followed by an exploration into why Black women’s experiences of police violence are largely overlooked and what can be done to bridge the gap between advocacy for Black men and women victims of police violence.