Facing Feminist Contradictions in Late 20th Century Chicago: Police Wives and Domestic Violence Advocates

During the late 20th century in Chicago, both police wives, black, and brown women were abused by police officers. This thesis argues the transformation from private family "disturbances" to public harm was in part because of the rise of newspaper coverage on the murders of police wives in Chicago. Additionally, both domestic violence advocates and women of color dealt with gender-based violence within the carceral system. A feminist contradiction is born within these intersections; in which seeking justice under a carceral system contradicts the radical demands and goals of women of color activism in Chicago. Thus, this thesis engages in an oral interview with a Kenyan Indian woman, a previous domestic violence advocate in the late twentieth century, to elaborate on the historical negotiation's feminists were tasked to make.