Police violence against racial and ethnic minorities has been researched through the lens of multiple social science disciplines including psychology. Within psychology, the study of trauma lends itself to understanding the dynamics of unjustified violence perpetrated by some law enforcement agents. These acts of aggression are not only examples of interpersonal trauma but also the trauma of racism, which is examined through the lens of intergenerational trauma, racistincident-based trauma, and complex trauma. There is a history of violence against racial and ethnic minorities that contextualizes the traumatic experience of police violence. Additionally, the framework of trauma illuminates the causes and consequences of police brutality as a racist-incident trauma. Finally, survivors of police violence targeting racial and ethnic minorities are often persons who have been exposed to multiple traumas resulting in a cumulative effect. Filling a current gap in the literature, we discuss the clinical implications of applying trauma theories to police violence, as well as diverse ways racially and ethnically marginalized persons have coped with and resisted these acts. There is attention given to the need to attend to the intersecting identities of persons who are targeted such as ethnic minority women. Finally, we describe the need for further study of this complex and devastating phenomenon.Feminist scholar, Audre Lorde, wrote, "this woman is Black so her blood is shed in silence" (De Veaux, 2004 p. 243). The blood of many racial and ethnic minorities has been shed by police officers who have sworn to protect and serve them. The trauma of police violence, or police brutality, has been attended to by some in the social science community but increased attention is needed to exploring

Black people have the highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection in the USA, and they are less likely to access quality physical and mental healthcare. To address these disparities as outlined in the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, there is a need for culturally congruent, innovative approaches to HIV/AIDS prevention. The first multi-denominational national study of Black faith leaders was conducted utilizing focus groups that were held in 11 US cities. The 265 participants were faith leaders who reported involvement in such prevention practices as sponsoring HIV/AIDS workshops, integrating HIV/AIDS messaging in the worship service, hosting HIV/AIDS screenings, distributing written materials about HIV/AIDS through the bulletin or flyers, pastoral counselling, advocating for policies that provide quality healthcare to the community and disseminating HIV/AIDS prevention messages through new media such as the Church website. These findings, including attention to barriers to engagement, provide insight into innovative practices that can be integrated into faith-based HIV/ AIDS prevention programming.

2013 to 2015 has seen a reemergence of mass protest, boycotts, marches, and strategic planning within the african american community and across cultural and national lines. african american women have been at the forefront of this movement, leading local, national, international, and social media action (Sakuma, 2014). this movement has focused on addressing police brutality, violence in all of its forms, and the dysfunction of the criminal justice system. this is not a new tradition for the african american community or for african american women in particular. the identity, presence, role, and agency of Black women in their historical and contemporary struggle for liberation are worthy of scholarly womanist investigation and application (Gaines, 2013). Black women have seen themselves as capable agents of change and have played central roles in slave rebellions; in the civil rights movement; in the Black Power movement; in their socialization of their children; in transforming systems of oppression from within; in the creation and a PSYcHocultuRal eXPloRation oF WoManiSM, actiViSM, anD Social JuStice tHeMa BRYant-DaViS anD tYonna aDaMS

This chapter discusses the experiences of women and girl survivors of sex trafficking in the United States. It highlights the risk factors that make women and girls vulnerable to sex traffickers and victimization, examines the impact of sex trafficking on women’s and girls’ health, and describes the circumstances that lead to their forced involvement in the sex trade and their contact with the justice system. Gender, class, and racial stereotypes are barriers that prevent trafficking survivors from obtaining legal protection. Other barriers include fear of violence, lack of awareness of resources, and fear of deportation. When seeking legal help, trafficking survivors often experience revictimization and are treated as criminals. Lastly, this chapter identifies the need for more research on survivors of sex trafficking, highlights promising legal and mental health interventions, and proposes guidelines for greater gender and cultural responsiveness in programming.

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