This February marks 100 years of Black History Month being recognized. A century of celebrating achievements and progress, and educating and reflecting on history. Each Black History Month feels like a timely reminder to not only appreciate the progress that we have made towards racial equality but also work towards a present and future where Black Americans have all the same rights and privileges as their white counterparts. At a time like now, we’re focused on the right to be free of violence, and how we can afford more people that privilege. 

As a survivor-centered organization committed to serving the most marginalized communities, we know Black women and girls are more susceptible to sexual harm. But we can change this. Anti-racism needs to be part of all efforts to support survivors. Fighting for racial justice is a necessary part of fighting for gender justice. 

There are many anti-racist efforts and practices we can all harness to fight for gender justice. Black women and girls are disproportionately harmed by sexual violence. Black women face a notable pay gap; they are paid less than their white and male counterparts for the same work. Additionally, the Black maternal health crisis makes pregnancy and childbirth drastically more dangerous for Black people and their families. These issues all connect to sexual harm and better addressing these patterns and problems that impact Black communities and individuals will help us better support survivors.   

Black women and girls are more susceptible to sexual harm 

Close to one in five Black women are rape survivors. A quarter of Black girls endure sexual abuse before they turn 18. This harm itself isn’t the one and only issue either. Reporting sexual violence can also be difficult for survivors of color because it requires navigating systems and institutions that have historically been harmful or unhelpful, such as the police or the criminal justice systems. The combination of these barriers builds trauma, stigma, and shame, creating situations where Anti-Black racism can spread further, and Black survivors are left with fewer options and resources. 

Additionally, Black women and girls are more vulnerable to sex trafficking. A U.S. Department of Justice study found that 40% of all sex trafficking survivors are Black. We can’t begin to address or remedy the harms of the sex trade without acknowledging that overrepresentation. Black girls are disproportionately impacted by the abuse-to-prison pipeline leading them to experience survivor criminalization as well. 

The exploitation of Black women and girls, often at the hands of white men sex buyers, does not happen by chance. Traffickers and sex buyers know that harming Black women and girls will be taken less seriously than white women, and the consequences are often not the same. 

The Black women’s pay gap 

The connection between harm and race isn’t always overtly, physically violent. There are many lived experiences and cycles that happen quietly and subtly, that still contribute to the dehumanization and discrimination of Black people, like the pay gap here in the U.S. 

Our gender and race impact the way we are all paid for work. There is a gender pay gap persisting here in America, and it’s an even wider one when accounting for race and ethnicity. In 2022, research found that the pay disparity for Black women remained massive. Black women were paid 66.5 cents for every $1 paid to white men. Financial empowerment is a key component to addressing sexual violence. Striving for equal pay for everyone requires us to be anti-racist, so that race and gender one day have no negative impact on one’s salary. Better compensation equals more opportunities and more freedom. When people are in poverty, we know they are more likely to turn to “survival sex,” which is when a person engages in sexual exchanges to meet a survival need, such as food or housing. Poverty fuels sexual harm in a myriad of ways. Addressing the Black women’s pay gap will help give Black women more options more power, and in turn, more safety. 

Reproductive justice 

Supporting survivors also means fighting for reproductive justice. SisterSong defines reproductive justice as “the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities.” We often hear about reproductive justice in conversations about abortion access, but it’s more than that. Bodily autonomy, and the right to have or not have children are rights that everyone deserves, but we don’t all have equal access to. For example, we can look at the Black maternal health crisis. Black women in the US are 3-4 times more likely to die a pregnancy-related death than their white counterparts. We are nowhere near achieving racial justice when that’s the reality Black pregnant people face. And it’s not only pregnancy and childbirth that threaten Black people’s safety, it’s abortion access too.

U.S. abortion restrictions in recent years have impacted Black women especially. Fifty seven percent of Black women aged 15-49 live in a state where abortion is limited or fully banned. Black pregnant people are being denied options, and bodily autonomy. Now imagine all people in these areas of heavy restriction who are (or could become) pregnant due to sexual harm. Access to a variety of options is the bare minimum people in those situations deserve. We can’t achieve reproductive justice when we deny some people the right to bodily autonomy.  

Making it harder for survivors, especially Black survivors, who are forced to navigate these systemic problems, is deeply unjust. We must repair these systems and remedy them so that the choice to be pregnant or not, have children or not, and pursue any option knowing you are safe is the bare minimum.  

Sexual violence, the wage gap, and the Black maternal health crisis are just a few of the ways we can see how anti-Black racism fuels increased rates of sexual harm. 

During Black History Month, we take this time to honor those making anti-racist efforts to end sexual harm and better support survivors. Black women have historically been at the forefront of the anti-sexual harm movement, so, it only makes sense to continue following their lead and centering the most marginalized among us. At a time when both DEI and education are under attack, knowing and honoring Black history makes us all better equipped to create a more just future. 

We cannot end sexual harm without addressing and combating anti-Black racism. Our culture can begin this process by prioritizing bodily safety, fair pay, and reproductive justice for those who it has been historically furthest out of reach for.

As we strive towards this equitable future, it will take immense focus and collaboration to create meaningful, lasting change and achieve progress. Together, we can fight for a day where racism and sexual harm are seen as truly unacceptable, and no longer allowed to damage our communities, allowing everyone the opportunity to thrive and live safely.  

Learn more about the intersection between racial justice and gender justice in CAASE’s other blogs: 

• We’re Listening: What Black Survivors Say About the Sex Trade (Report) 
• Empower Survivors by Supporting Black-Owned Businesses 
• 5 Black Women Who Shaped The Anti-Sexual Harm Movement 
• Want To Understand the Relationship Between Police Brutality and Sexual Harm? Here’s Where to Begin 

This piece was published on February 9, 2026. It was authored by Lizzy Springer and edited by Ryan Spooner. Learn more about our staff here.