The Cage I Built: Perspectives on Intimate Partner Violence in African Immigrant Communities

by Macdonald Metzger

Overview

Research on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) has given little attention to the study of IPV or domestic abuse among African immigrants in the U.S. While there are many research studies and books on IPV in the Asian, Hispanic, and Latino communities. Little has been done little to highlight the extent of this problem within African immigrant communities. The Cage I Built provides an insider's perspective on the problem of partner abuse or domestic abuse within African immigrant communities in the United States. In this book, I shared my experiences of abuse as a child, and as an adult. I also looked at the experiences of new immigrants who often experience higher levels of abuse and exploitation by their partners. I became particularly interested in writing on this topic because of my personal experiences with IPV. These experiences date as far back as my childhood in Liberia, West Africa. My dad, Papa, worked as a Stipendiary Magistrate and was very authoritative, controlling, and domineering. In most male-dominated cultures, female subordination is popular. For example, in some Nigerian cultures, a woman is viewed as a second-class being. The popular belief among traditional Nigerian men is that "the best place for women is in the kitchen". The Nigerian society is very patriarchal, a key characteristic of traditional African societies. In these societies, women are made to experience all forms of discrimination. Many, like my mom, are married off at an early age, missing out on school, kept as house helps, abused by their partners, and kept for the rest of their lives in poverty. This book is dedicated to all women who are survivors of IPV.

Who is this book for?
This book is relevant for:
• African immigrant women who are living with an abusive partner and want to learn about resources and supports that are available to them.
• African immigrant youth and adults who are perpetrators of IPV and want to change their behaviors and attitudes.
• Anyone who wants to learn about IPV in African immigrant communities.
• Professionals who work in the human and social services field in African immigrant communities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781666264036
Publisher:	Barnes & Noble Press
Publication date:	03/21/2021
Pages:	154
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.33(d)

About the Author

Macdonald M. Metzger, M.S., DPA. is a Liberian American immigrant who lives in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, along with his wife, Rhoda, and three girls, Christine, Maima, and Mackenzie, and his mom, Maima. Mac, as he is affectionately called, hails from Damballah, a small town in western Liberia. His parents hailed from West African neighbors, Sierra Leone and Liberia, and he grew up in both cultures and speaks the languages of both countries.
Growing up, when Mac was not visiting his late uncle, Supreme Court Judge William B. Metzger in the courtrooms, he was home typing up court documents for his late father, James D. Metzger, a court magistrate. His mother Maima Kamara Metzger is a retired businesswoman.
Mac began his career in West Africa as a broadcast journalist. His early radio career kicked off in Sierra Leone with the Voice of Children radio project, a program run by the Public Information Office of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone. He went on to work in Liberia for the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Liberia radio. After he immigrated to the US in 2010, Mac branched off from radio into Human and Social Services work. He worked with older adults and people with disabilities in-home and community-based settings. He has worked as a direct support professional, frontline supervisor, and manager. He now directs community outreach activities at the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota.
Mac enjoys writing, reading, poetry, and creative arts. When he is not traveling for work, he is often home cooking, painting, and making YouTube videos of his wife and three daughters.
This book is Mac’s first attempt at raising awareness of IPV within the African immigrant community. As a child, he lived through abuse. He and his elder sister were often caught up in the middle of the physical violence against his mom. Mac has a lived experience as an IPV perpetrator. Mac has written this book to highlight the plight of IPV within African immigrant communities in the US. He hopes that other African immigrants, especially young boys, and men can use the experiences shared in this book, and the knowledge gained from reading it to put an end to IPV within their communities.

Editorial Reviews

The views expressed in the book by Dr. Metzger are still alive and practiced among African immigrant families in the United States. There is a saying that "you can take people out of Africa, but you cannot take Africa out of them." Since domestic abuse is not viewed as public health or mental health issue in their countries of origin, the behavior is also migrated with them. Thanks for such contributions to knowledge.

Director of Services and Training, Progressive Individual Resources Inc. - Richard Oni, PhD

Metzger provides a vivid description, cautiously choosing his words to highlight the extent of the problem of IPV within African immigrant communities in the United States. The distrust of the available community services, cultural and religious factors, and the socioeconomic status of the African immigrants often serve as barriers to seeking help. Most women are reluctant to seek help because of a lack of trust in the available community support systems.

CEO/ Advocate, Radio Journalist, Author, Straight From The Heart International, INC - Agnes Fallah Kamara