Invisible or Pathologized? Racial Statistics and Violence Against Women of Color

This article applies Tukufu Zuberi's (2001) analysis of racial statistics to the issue of violence against women of color. Data from several national surveys are discussed in terms of the potential for drawing needed attention and resources to women of color and the simultaneous danger of reinforcing stereotypes of pathological communities. I argue for the importance of history and social context as well as qualitative narratives, particularly with regard to rates of violence against African American and American Indian women. Brief narratives from two women are offered to demonstrate the complexities of women's lives that are invisible in statistical data.