Research and Evaluation Work Group (REWG)
We work with key stakeholders across the country to conduct meaningful and impactful research that addresses race, class, quality of victim services, offender accountability, and system accountability. This research informs future advocacy to support the Black community because research is critical to reform.
Here you’ll find a list of research that addresses the pervasive issues of sexual assault and domestic and community violence within the Black Community.
Research and Evaluation Work Group (REWG)
The Research and Evaluation Work Group (REWG) consists of ten research consultants from diverse disciplines and backgrounds, all focused on the intersection of violence, public health, social justice, and intimate partner violence. These experts collaborate to enhance our initiatives by developing fact sheets, black papers, and other research products that address the systemic violence affecting the Black community. Through their analysis and commitment to advocacy, the REWG aims to highlight critical issues and inform effective strategies for promoting safety and justice.The REWG was developed in part to fill the dearth of research and statistics specific to intersectional violence in the Black community.
Meet Our Research Team
About
Dr. Nicole Dezrea Jenkins is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at Howard University and current Harvard University Faculty Fellow. She received her Doctoral degree from the University of Nevada Las Vegas in the Department of Sociology in 2020. She obtained an M.A. in Sociology in 2017 and B.A. in Sociology in 2015 from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. In 2013, she received an A.A. in Criminal Justice after serving six years of active duty in the United States Air Force as Military Police. She is a proud advocate for social justice and committed to teaching with such emphasis on topics such as Sociology of Poverty and Problems of the Black Community. As a qualitative researcher and urban ethnographer, she incorporates intersectional and critical feminist frameworks into her own research, centering the experiences of women in the African Diaspora. Her recent research project incorporates two years of ethnographic data collection in a Las Vegas African hair braiding salon. She finds that Black women’s identity-making process is complex and perceptions of nationhood and Black womeness often impede the process. She is the recipient of the Princeton University Press Supportive Diverse Voices Book Proposal Development Grant and is currently working on her first book project from this research project, tentatively entitled CROWNed: Black Women’s Entanglement with U.S. Institutions.
Her Global Crowns research project on natural hair has been featured in Nature magazine (2024) and is intended to extend the conversation of natural hair discrimination globally by capturing the experiences of Black women around the globe who wear their natural hair.
About
Johnny Rice II, Dr.PH., MSCJ is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice in the College of Behavioral Sciences (CBSS) at Coppin State University in Baltimore, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). He formerly served as criminal
justice Department Chair and Interim Dean for the College of Behavioral and Social Science (CBSS). As a Research Fellow for the Bishop L. Robinson Sr. Justice Institute, he is leading student research teams exploring issues such as gun violence, domestic violence, and juvenile delinquency.
Before joining Coppin, he worked as a senior program associate at the Vera Institute of Justice in their Center on Victimization and Safety. He has spent the past 24 years providing leadership, technical assistance, and support to organizations that serve low-income fathers and families in the areas of child welfare, youth development, and criminal justice in efforts to create safe and stable communities. Before joining Vera, he worked as a public administrator for the Maryland Department of Human Services (formerly Department of Human Resources). At DHR, he served as the state administrator for the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Program, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) Domestic Violence Program, the Rape Crisis and Sexual Assault Program, and federal and state-funded Responsible Fatherhood programs. His portfolio also encompassed Emergency Food and Homeless Services programs. Previously Dr. Rice held the position of Chief Operating Officer and Director of the nationally recognized Men’s Services Responsible Fatherhood Program at the Center for Urban Families in Baltimore. At CFUF, he assisted in developing a partnership with the House of Ruth Maryland Gateway Project, cited by Health and Human Services as one of the first collaborations in the nation between a responsible fatherhood service provider and a domestic violence abuser intervention program. Dr. Rice has served in the role of consultant, speaker, workshop presenter, and faculty member for the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW), Futures Without Violence, Office of Family Assistance (OFA), and other recognized governmental, social justice, and fatherhood organizations. He formerly served as Board President for the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV) and now serves on the board of the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Dr. Rice is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Baltimore Alumni Chapter”The Benchmark”. Dr. Rice earned his Doctor of Public Health from Morgan State University’s School of Community Health and Policy, and his MS and BS degrees in Criminal Justice from the University of Baltimore respectively. He resides in Maryland and is a proud husband and father.
About
Dr. Carolyn West is an award-winning author, internationally recognized speaker, documentary filmmaker, expert witness. She is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Washington where she teaches courses on Sex Crimes and Sexual Violence and Family Violence. For more than three decades, she has been investigating gender-based violence in the lives of marginalized populations, with a focus on African American women. Dr. West has authored more than 100 academic publications, including Violence in the Lives of Black Women: Battered, Black and Blue (Routledge, 2002) and the Technical Assistance Guidance Series: Serving Black Women Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence (2024).
Dr. West has given Congressional Briefings and hundreds of keynote addresses, workshops, and presentations around the country. She has been interviewed by national media outlets including, The New York Times, Washington Post, and Jada Pickett Smith on Red Table Talk. Dr. West is featured in the documentary Subjects of Desire, an examination of contemporary beauty images of Black women, which is available on STARZ and Hulu.
Her mission is to deliver keynote addresses, conduct workshops, and customize innovative training material to educate and equip professionals with the skills to provide culturally responsive services. Her vision is to educate, empower, and inspire a multicultural alliance of survivors and professionals to prevent all forms of violence. She can be reached atwww.DrCarolynWest.com.
About
Dr. Chaya Crowder is an Assistant Professor at Loyola Marymount University in the Department of Political Science and International Relations. She received her PhD from the Department of Politics at Princeton University where she also received certificates in African-American Studies and Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Dr. Crowder’s research and teaching interests include political behavior, race and ethnicity politics, social media and American politics as well as gender and American politics. She uses an intersectional approach in her research to explore the ways that attention to race, gender and sexuality have differential effects on political behavior.
Her forthcoming book project (Oxford University Press), entitled Intersectional Solidarity: Black Women and The Politics of Group Consciousness explores how consciousness of the intersection of racial discrimination and gender discrimination impacts support for political issues that affect Black women.
About
Dr. Chakoria Wells fulfills the role of an Adjunct Professor, imparting her expertise through both online and in-person psychology courses. Her dedication to education goes hand in hand with her current position as a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. She has delved into compelling research centered around the profound effects of generational trauma on adolescents. Her scholarly pursuits also encompass culturally responsive teaching and multicultural teacher education, strongly emphasizing promoting social justice.
Over the past five years, she has successfully inaugurated two distinct private practice endeavors: “Dr.WellsPhd” and “Wells Consulting Services, LLC.”
“Dr.WellsPhd” operates as a nonprofit entity, thoughtfully fashioned to extend educational resources and offer advocacy-driven services. It is mainly geared towards parents and educators from diverse or marginalized communities who may grapple with navigating the intricate educational landscape. This venture exemplifies Dr. Wells’ commitment to empowering these communities.
Concurrently, through Wells Consulting Services, LLC, Dr. Wells offers direct clinical interventions and assessments tailored to school-aged children. Her proficiency extends to strategic consultation and training for parents, teachers, and school administrators. The spectrum of her guidance encompasses school-based mental health, particular education policies and procedures, culturally responsive pedagogy, and empirically grounded interventions.
The underpinning philosophy of both private practices is firmly rooted in Dr. Wells’ profound passion for engaging with diverse children and families. This fervor is complemented by her unswerving belief in the transformative potential of culturally enriched and supportive educational environments. The bedrock of her pursuits lies in fostering educational, behavioral, and emotional triumph for all students.
In addition, Dr. Wells contributes to the academic community as an Ad Hoc Reviewer for the esteemed “Behavior Analysis in Practice” psychology journal. This role underscores her commitment to upholding rigorous standards within her field.
About
Nkiru Nnawulezi, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She earned her doctorate in Ecological-Community Psychology at Michigan State University and has additional graduate certifications in college teaching, community engagement, and quantitative research methods. Her research examines the ecological factors that enhance equity within and across housing systems in order to improve the social and material conditions for survivors of gender-based violence who occupy multiply marginalized social identities. She also seeks to develop sustainable survivor-centered, community-based systems of support that can serve as alternatives to traditional formal social service systems. Her work has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, State of Michigan, and Center for Victim Research. She is an award-winning researcher and mentor and has disseminated her scholarship to academic and community audiences through peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, community toolkits, invited academic and community talks, and national and international conferences. As an expert in community-based, participatory research and trained facilitator, Dr. Nnawulezi designs participatory research processes with community partners to find innovative solutions to complex social problems. She serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Family Violence and is on the editorial board of the Community Psychology in the Global Perspective Journal. She is also a Research and Evaluation Advisor to the National Center on Domestic Violence, DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence, National Innovation Service, and Ujima: The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community. Dr. Nnawulezi will use REIDS funding to exploring the destabilizing ecological factors associated with current and ongoing housing displacement, above and beyond gentrification, for women who are living with HIV and surviving intimate partner violence. Her REIDS mentor is Dr. Tami Sullivan.
About
Kamila A. Alexander is an Associate Professor and Director of the PhD and Postdoctoral programs at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Her research examines the socio-structural determinants of trauma and violence on sexual, mental, and reproductive health outcomes among marginalized young people. As a trained advanced practice public health nurse, Dr. Alexander uses health equity and social justice lenses to examine the complex roles that intimate partner violence, HIV resilience, societal gender expectations, and economic opportunity play in the experience of intimate human relationships. She is recognized for her scientific and community-engaged leadership as a member of the inaugural cohort of Betty Irene Moore Fellowships for Nurse Leaders and Innovators.
Dr. Alexander has been a leader in advancing health equity in interprofessional activities and leadership roles within and outside Johns Hopkins. She is the inaugural Chair of the Nursing Initiative of the Mid-Atlantic Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Consortium, Lead Faculty for the Violence Working Group at the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy, Chair of the HIV/STI Committee of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, and the Associate Director of the NIH-sponsored Interdisciplinary Research and Training in Trauma and Violence T32 Training Program at Johns Hopkins.
Dr. Alexander earned a B.S. in Exercise Science from Howard University, a BSN and MSN/MPH from Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, and a PhD in Nursing Science from the University of Pennsylvania. Her goals are to not only promote health and prevent morbidities but to lead and create investigations that affect practice and policy on a global scale.
About
Dr. Khnuma Simmonds is the proud daughter of El’Roy and Carmen Simmonds and a proud U.S.Virgin Islands mom who was born and raised on St. Croix. She continues to live, work and play on the island where she is raising her 9-year old king, Taino Khing, and her 4-year old prince, Khnum Xau! She received a BA in Liberal Arts from Hofstra University in New York with a major in Communications and a minor in Dance. Khnuma holds a Master in Education Guidance & Counseling from the University of the Virgin Islands and is a Doctor of Philosophy with a PhD in Advanced Studies in Human Behavior Program from Capella University. Her published research investigated the impact of Caribbean music and dance on survivors of domestic violence in the U.S. Virgin Islands and highlights the power of culture, identity and freedom which also transcends through her membership in committees such as the 175th Emancipation Commemoration committee as appointed by the Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands and as a graduate of the Executive Program in Leadership Strategy for Violence & Abuse Prevention at the University of Pennsylvania – Ortner Center on Violence and Abuse
As the Founder and CEO of Girlfriendism ™ International and Owner of My Girlfriend’s Closet and SoKh Caribbean Dance Fitness, Khnuma is a full-time mompreneur who enjoys marrying her passions for entrepreneurship and advocacy. Through Girlfriendism ™, she advocates for women’s empowerment through fashion, fitness, business, wellness, travel and philanthropy and also, incorporates her role as a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault to further advocate for and support survivors. The work of Girlfriendism has been featured in St. Croix Magazine, V.I. Consortium, V.I. Daily News, St. Croix Avis, Voyage Minnesota and numerous others throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands and nationally and she has also been named as one of the top ten Disruptors of 2022 by Disruptors Magazine! In 2022, she also embarked on her first international Girlfriendism Retreat in Greece with 31 women from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Florida, South Carolina, New York and beyond! This monumental experience celebrated eleven years of My Girlfriend’s Closet and two years of the launch of Girlfriendism ™ on August 1st – National Girlfriend Day! It is through these initiatives and others including The Entrepreneurship Experience, that Khnuma highlights the power of collectivism and the role of women in the growth and success of local and global communities.
In addition to her entrepreneurial endeavors, Khnuma also served as the Executive Director of the V.I. Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Council (DVSAC) and the former Fiscal Review Coordinator at the St. Croix Foundation for Community Development. She also serves as the Federal Programs Coordinator at the Law Enforcement Planning Commission and as a mental health advocate with Beautiful Dreamers Behavioral and Educational Center where she can engage in the art of empathy, love and compassion for people within her community.
For more information on Dr. Simmonds or her work through Girlfriendism International, please visit her brand website at www.girlfriendism.com
Black Papers
Ujima Natural Hair and the Black Community Black Paper
Reproductive Coercion and Sexual Violence
Journal Articles
The Intersectionality of Intimate Partner Violence in Black Communities
Reproductive Coercion and Sexual Violence
General Statistics
Intimate Partner Violence Statistics in the Black Community
Fact Sheets
When Black Women and Girls Go Missing
Natural Hair Discrimination as Violence Against the Black Community
The Black Immigrant Survivor Experience with Intimate Partner Violence
The Experiences of Black Muslim Survivors in the U.S.
Ujima Fact Sheet on Gun Violence
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