It has happened again: A Hollywood celebrity is at the center of domestic violence.
A judge has granted actress and singer Keke Palmer a temporary restraining order against her ex-boyfriend Darius Jackson, also giving her sole physical custody of the 8-month-old boy they share together.
Palmer accuses Jackson of attacking her a number of times and trespassing on her home.
This appears to be an example of a prevalent issue across the U.S., not just in Hollywood, particularly concerning Black women and men, who experience intimate partner violence at higher rates.
"There's a heightened vulnerability, so that can definitely look like so many different things, like 45% of Black women and [40% of] men experience physical violence and sexual violence, you know, in their lifetime, 1 in 3 Latinx will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime. But also, teens and young adults are uniquely vulnerable to relationship abuse," said Angela Lee, love is respect director for the National Violence Hotline.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 61 million women and 53 million men have encountered psychological aggression from an intimate partner during their lifetime, and over 80% of female rape survivors experienced their first assault before age 25, with almost half of them being minors (under 18) at the time.
For male survivors, nearly 80% reported their first experience of being made to penetrate someone as occurring before age 25, with about 40% experiencing it as minors.
"I think it's important to also understand that extreme jealousy or insecurities — you know, explosive outbursts, temper tantrums, or mood swings — all of these are definitely not lesser but definitely signs that there could be something going on. A relationship exists on the spectrum from healthy to unhealthy to abusive. We wanna address the unhealthy warning signs so we can try to stop and end domestic violence," said Lee.
According to Lee, in the United States, social and economic discrimination often intersect, posing increased challenges for marginalized populations. Unfortunately, individuals on the margins may face heightened difficulties, making some hesitate to seek help due to concerns about safety, a lack of relatable support, strained relationships with law enforcement, or skepticism about being believed.
If you know someone who is facing domestic violence, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit their website at www.thehotline.org, or text the word start to 88788.
