The Tale of Two Cities: A Qualitative Investigation of the Lived Experience of Black Survivors of Homicide Victims in Boston, MA & Detroit, MI

Homicide rates are the highest in Black communities in the United States (CDC,

2017), and the family and friends of the victims, known as survivors of homicide victims,

are left behind to cope with this tragic loss. There is a limited amount of research on the

experiences of Black survivors of homicide victims, including the coping strategies they

utilize and how context shapes said strategies. This dissertation applies theoretical

frameworks and perspectives proposed by Sharpe (2015) and Bronfenbrenner (1979), and

incorporates geographical context with specific neighborhood effects (Jencks & Mayer,

1990; Sampson et al., 1997; Leventhal & Brooks-Gunn, 2000), and Delgado & Stefancic

(2017), to explore how geographical location influences the lived experiences of Black

survivors of homicide victims in two urban cities in the United States; Boston, MA and

Detroit, MI. Two main research questions were addressed 1) How does geographical

context affect the lived experiences of Black survivors of homicide victims in Boston and

Detroit, and 2) How does geographical context impact the coping strategies Black

survivors of homicide victims utilize? A convenience sampling strategy was employed,

and participants were recruited through organizations focused on homicide or violence.

Black individuals over the age of 18 (n=26) participated in a semi-structured individual

interview. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used to understand the

experiences of survivors from their own perspectives of coping with the homicide of a

loved one. This dissertation provides useful information on how the social and physical

location, proximity of support services, and relationship with the police and community

impacts Black survivors of homicide victims’ experiences. Findings illustrate that as a

result of their sociocultural context and geographic location, survivors are grappling with

double stigmatization because of their racial identities, fear of returning to their

communities where the homicide occurred, loss of sense of community and a need for

more culturally relevant supports. These findings have implications for providing mental

health practitioners, community leaders, researchers, and other service providers with

vital information to assist them in providing culturally responsive and appropriate support

services for Black survivors of homicide victims.