Black femicide, the killing of Black women, usually by their intimate partners or close relatives, is on the rise. In April 2026 alone, Nancy Metayer Bowen, vice mayor of Coral Springs, Florida, Dr. Cerina Fairfax of Virginia, and Pastor Tammy McCollum of North Carolina were murdered by their husbands, Black men.
In Shreveport, Louisiana, Shamar Elkins shot his seven children and his nephew to death, and critically wounded his estranged wife and her sister. According to the Violence Policy Center, between 2011 and 2024, the number of Black women killed by men with firearms increased by nearly 30 percent.
Mental health and systemic stressors, particularly financial, increase the chances of intimate partner violence turning deadly. But there’s more to the story. Patriarchal, white supremacist teachings normalize violence against Black women and girls. More Black men and boys are becoming immersed in the Black manosphere that perpetuates hatred of Black women.
Policing and mass media reinforce misogynoir by dismissing violence against Black women and girls or ignoring their stories. A Black girl who disappears is more likely to be written off as a runaway, not considered endangered. Since AMBER alerts aren’t issued for runaways, families must search on their own. Structural racism and sexism reinforce assumptions that the safety of Black girls and women doesn’t matter.
Black men must reject these assumptions, stop normalizing violence, and hold their sons, brothers, and other Black men accountable. Black people cannot thrive, much less be liberated, in a world that allows violence against Black women and girls.