Angelina Jolie speaks up about a problem that many black domestic violence survivors face: inequities in medical care.
In an op-ed published in the American Journal of Nursing on Wednesday, July 6th, 2023, the actress and campaigner, 48, discussed new technology that allows bruising to be visible on deeper skin tones.
The actress, who has long been an advocate for domestic abuse, described “the simple, portable device” that directs “alternate light” on the skin when she visited forensic nurse Katherine N. Scafide.
The new “technique is up to five times more effective at detecting bruising than white light, as much as four weeks after injury,” Jolie explained.
Using her 18-year-old Ethiopian daughter Zahara as an example, Jolie wrote that her daughter was taught to look for pink around her incision sites to check for poor healing.
“I had a talk with my daughter, both of us knowing that we would have to look for signs of infection based on our own knowledge, not what the nurse had said, despite her undoubted good intentions,” the Unbroken filmmaker wrote.
Jolie recognized that symptoms of bruising are one of the most difficult parts for abuse survivors of color to deal with because they go unnoticed by doctors and first responders.
She went on to add that this new bruise-detecting technology is only a piece of the bigger picture, but it is an important step toward protecting abuse survivors.
“Let’s be clear: racial bias in forensic evidence collection is only one aspect of much larger societal issues that lead to health care inequities and racially biased health outcomes,” she recognised.
“Many factors contribute to the unacceptable, disproportionate impact of domestic violence on communities of colour in America, and all must be addressed.”