Black men remained the group with the highest rate of death by homicide — a sad statistic that is unfortunately neither new nor surprising. Black men also had the largest increase in deaths by homicide of any demographic. What has changed, however, is that the rate by which Black women are being killed has risen dramatically. Black women are twice as likely as white women to be killed by another person, and that gap grew in 2020.
The Guardian investigated this alarming increase in Black women dying by homicide. The states with the largest increase in Black women being killed were mostly in the Midwest and South, including Wisconsin, Ohio, Kentucky, Arkansas and Indiana. Additionally, Washington, D.C., saw an alarming spike in Black women being killed, rising from 10 in 2019 to 25 in 2020.
Overall, police reports show that most of these killings were committed by romantic partners or family members of the women. Additionally, Black trans women have been especially vulnerable. Half of the murders of trans women or gender non-conforming people in 2020 were committed against Black trans women.
In 2020 and 2021, Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL) introduced the Protect Black Women and Girls Act to tackle the racial disparities in violence and other areas of life that impact Black women. Additionally, Attorney General Merrick Garland promised to make protecting Black trans women a priority of the Justice Department under his leadership.