Today is day 9 of the national month-long writing campaign for men on the issue of domestic violence and in support of Marissa Alexander, the Florida mother of three who was sentenced to 20 years for firing a warning shot to scare off her abusive husband. Launched by the Chicago Taskforce on Violence Against Women , Emotional Justice Unplugged, and the Free Marisa Now Mobilization Campaign, EBONY.com is the official media partner of this critical act of 'emotional justice' in action.
Our letter today is from a brother, a witness: James Wolf. This brother owns his male privilege, shares a story of intervening during a domestic violence incident and managing his own family history with abuse.
Dear Marissa, from Brotha James Wolf
"I wish I had the words to express my thoughts and feelings concerning your imprisonment. I can only say that it is a travesty that you ended up in prison for rightfully protecting yourself from an abusive husband who still walks free to do whatever he pleases"
"…This man got into it with his wife, yet again. He cursed at her like he usually does right into their home. The woman yelled at him to leave her alone inside the trailer. They soon walked out, with him looking for and getting his baseball bat. I decided to step in, unarmed. I got in his face and tried to calm him down once again, but he seemed to far gone in his rage as he cursed me out still holding the bat as if he's prepared to swing. It was the first time I stepped in to prevent a serious act of violence. I was tense and felt sick to my stomach, probably because it brought up memories of witnessing abuse growing up."
"I learned that I have privileges in a male dominated society. I also learned that I am sexist, chauvinistic and even misogynistic, to which I am not proud of. Even though I am working hard to rid myself of those moral illnesses, I fear that they may still linger."
"…Marissa, there are moments that I wonder what I could've done to stand up for women. There are times I regret my own mistreatment of women. Although I've never hit one, I am still guilty …"
Read this brother's complete letter here.
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