Silent No More

The accusations that superstar Chris Brown beat up his equally famous girlfriend, Rihanna, sent shockwaves around the world. The thought that Brown, whose boyish charm and squeaky clean image have made him the fantasy of many teenage girls, could have hurt baby-faced beauty Rihanna, was unthinkable. If anything good can come from the alleged incident it’s that everyone, young and old, rich and poor, famous and common is talking about domestic abuse, finally.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, an estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year. Women ages 20 to 24 years of age are at the greatest risk of nonfatal intimate partner violence. Unfortunately, most cases of domestic violence are never reported to the police.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, an estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year. Women ages 20 to 24 years of age are at the greatest risk of nonfatal intimate partner violence. Unfortunately, most cases of domestic violence are never reported to the police. Even in the case of Brown and Rihanna, there’s been much speculation that other violent episodes have occurred between the two stars.

The two may very well be the first couple in a long time to spark a significant amount of dialog on the subject, especially among the Generation Y crowd. Whether the conversations are happening at school, on social networking sites or on blogs, young people are talking about the issue now more than ever. People are weighing in on everything from identifying abuse to ways to get help.

Chris and Ri aren’t the first celebrities thrust into the spotlight under the umbrella of domestic violence. Folks in their late 20s or early 30s probably remember Sandy “Pepa” Denton (of rap group Salt-N-Pepa) and her volatile relationship with ex-husband Treach of the group Naughty By Nature. In published reports, Pepa details harsh beatings at the hands of her ex and has talked openly about what took her so long to get help. The Queen of Hip Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige, has also reportedly had her share of bumps and bruises during her relationship with ex-boyfriend K-Ci of the popular group Jodeci.

Even Baby Boomers can remember the drama surrounding Ike and Tina Turner back in the day. The whole world got a glimpse into the regular abuse Tina suffered for years while married to her late ex-husband in the movie What’s Love Got to Do With It.

All of these high profile examples, particularly the case between Brown and Rihanna, send strong messages to young men and women. Sadly though, some die hard Chris Brown fans accuse Rihanna of inciting the abuse. This only goes to show that the conversations about domestic violence need to continue. Hopefully one day the right messages will get through.

Allegedly, during the time this video was recorded Mary J. Blige was involved in the abusive relationship with K-Ci.

If you or someone you know is being abused, please consider getting help immediately. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 and please visit www.domesticviolence.org.