Domestic Violence Mosaic

North Side Domestic Peace Project

The Initiative for Violence-Free Families
Family & Children's Service Domestic Peace Project
North Minneapolis' African American Community
Minneapolis, MN USA
http://www.ivff.org
Contact: Jeannette Raymond
Tel: 612-728-2093

In December 1999, a volunteer challenged us to address relationship violence in North Minneapolis' African American community. He believed that violent behavior was accepted as "normal," and that a broad message that relationship violence was not acceptable but preventable was needed. Research indicated that Minneapolis's North Side has a high rate of 911 calls, arrests, and arrests with weapons for domestic violence.

Our activities are based on a logic model that identifies three components for changing a community's norms and behaviors.

Laws

Institutional policies and practices

Individual norms and behaviors

Change occurs when these three components work together. Since Minnesota has strong domestic violence laws, our change efforts focus on institutions: African American media outlets and churches, community medical clinics and schools; and norms: those of the African American community, especially men.

Activities include:

Spreading general messages that discourage domestic violence and promote domestic peace;
Educating the community on helping services;
Encouraging early intervention by family, friends, and neighbors;
Providing training and opportunities for action for local institutions;
Organizing domestic peace pledge ceremonies for men.

We work with existing community strengths including:

African American men committed to reducing family violence. A group of men meets monthly;
Radio and print media sources, which the African American community trusts for information;
DV programs for victims and perpetrators with culturally competent staff and deep community roots;
The medical community; which has a strong understanding of domestic violence as a public health issue;
Churches that speak out about family violence and connect community members with help.

There is resistance to giving up norms that support family violence - We hear "it's family business" and that families don't know where to get help.

Domestic Peace Project Yet in September 2003, we held a fourth annual candlelight vigil and celebrated the first year with no deaths from child abuse or domestic violence since the beginning of this project.

Key informants reported that: women seek help more frequently, churches respond better to victims, community awareness and acknowledgment of the problems associated with family violence increased, community members advocate for non-violence more frequently, more men take action to prevent family violence, and local media speaks consistently on family violence.

The program activities are being considered by other cultural communities, and African Americans beyond the Minneapolis participate. If funding permitted, we could write a handbook to share how to implement this approach in other communities.