Structural Violence Against Black Women: Moving Toward Praxis
Christopher Williams, PhD (ABD), the founding Executive Director of Public Health Liberation, uses his online newspaper to advocate for protecting Black women and families in public housing against structural violence in his community of practice in Washington, DC. For at least 20 years, the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) has used redevelopment of public housing as a tool to displace families to make way for mixed-income communities that largely cater to high-income households. Since it entered the Moving to Work program, DCHA has served less than 75% of its total constituents since 2001 - a pattern and practice that violates federal law. Rather than use the flexibility as a MTW housing authorize to innovate in affordable housing production, it has engaged in structural violence and racism. The authority serves an overwhelming number of African Americans. The Black women that make up resident councils are deprived of meaningful influence to safeguard their residents’ legal rights and interests.
Advocating Against Structural Violence Impacting Black Women
Southwest Voice is calling for an end to structural violence against Black women leaders and families in public housing. DC Housing Authority's continuing policies of Black displacement and repeated harm are forms of structural racism. We urgently call on DC Council to fund legal defense funds for resident councils undergoing redevelopment. Read on for more discussion and our call to action to the Black middle class and advocacy communities to defend Black women leadership and support their fierce commitment to community.
Forms of Structural Violence - Were residents fully informed when they purportedly forfeited their tenant-based voucher for a project-based voucher? View video below. A FOIA request is pending to acquire the form used, which will be subsequently assessed for appropriateness and readability.
Structural Violence: This video excerpt of the DC Housing Authority Board of Commissioners May meeting illustrate how public housing residents suffer from structural violence.
1) The residents of historic Barry Farm public housing was displaced wholesale a few years ago. Yet, DC Housing struggles to provide the Board, former residents, and the public with how Barry Farm residents will be able to return. Administrators could not provide a prioritized list of populations. Former resident leader Ms. Paulette Matthews implored DCHA to involve resident in the waitlist plan and to do so in advance of the building construction
2) DCHA has not provided the Board, residents, or resident leaders with mold, lead, and other assessments of housing conditions. The video does not discuss prior assessments that have not been discussed. The ongoing assessments are going to residents councils and residents, but no timeline was provided. Residents may be unknowingly living in hazardous conditions. Testing and abatement were significantly reduced during the first two years of Covid.
