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An Overshadowed Crisis - From White House initiatives to nationwide protests, a number of recent steps have been taken to protect the lives of Black men. Yet, a new report reveals that Black women also face an disproportionate burden of fatal violence, often from Black men they know. Keep reading to learn more. —Patrice Peck(Photo: Bruce Laurance/Getty Images)

Photo By Bruce Laurance/Getty Images

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When Men Murder Women - The Violence Policy Center recently released its annual report, "When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2011 Homicide."(Photo: Davis Turner/Getty Images)

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Startling Statistics - Using information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the center presented a number of alarming figures about Black women.(Photo: laflor/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: laflor/Getty Images

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Disproportionate Rates - The VPC study found that Black women were killed at a rate more than two and a half times higher than white women in 2011.(Photo: Brian Kaufman/Detroit Free Press/AP Photo)

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Killing Our Own - Ninety-four percent of Black females killed in a single-victim/single-offender incident knew their killer, and 93 percent (459 of 492) were killed by another Black person.(Photo: Blend Images/Hill Street Studios/Getty Images)

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Known Killers - To put the numbers into context, nearly 15 times as many Black females were murdered by a male they knew (415 victims) than were killed by male strangers (28 victims) in single-victim/single-offender incidents.(Photo: Tom Merton/Getty Images)

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Die By the Gun - The most common weapons used by males to murder Black females in 2011 were firearms, mostly handguns.(Photo: Joshua Lott/Landov)

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Weapon of Mass Destruction - The number of Black females shot and killed by their husband or intimate acquaintance (106 victims) was nearly four times as high as the total number murdered by male strangers using all weapons combined (28 victims) in single-victim/single-offender incidents.(Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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Fighting Words - The vast majority of homicides of Black females murdered by males were unrelated to any other felony crime. Most often, Black females were killed with a firearm during an argument.(Photo: Moment/Getty Images)

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Marissa Alexander - Consider these alarming findings in the case of Marissa Alexander, a 33-year-old Florida woman accused of firing what she called "a warning shot" in her abusive estranged husband's direction following an argument in her home. Alexander has argued that she acted to save her life, pointing to the state's Stand Your Ground Laws. She could face up to 60 years in prison.(Photo: Courtesy of Florida State Attorney's Office)

Photo By Courtesy of Florida State Attorney's Office

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Killed By Her Father - This information also brings perspective to the March 2014 death of Houston resident Britney Cosby and her girlfriend, Crystal Jackson. It was Cosby's father who allegedly bludgeoned his daughter to death and shot her lover before dumping their bodies at a local port.(Photo: Scott Fisher/Getty Images)

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Are Guns the Solution or Problem? - Is gun ownership the solution? The VPC study argues that, according to previous studies, "a gun in the home is a key factor in the escalation of nonfatal spousal abuse to homicide."(Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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Gun Violence - "The picture that emerges from 'When Men Murder Women' is that women face the greatest threat from someone they know, most often a spouse or intimate acquaintance, who is armed with a gun," the study concluded. "For women in America, guns are not used to save lives, but to take them."(Photo: Moment/Getty Images)

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Next Steps - “Many elected officials and community leaders are working tirelessly to reduce the toll of domestic violence,” said Kristen Rand, Violence Policy Center legislative director. “Yet despite these efforts, the numbers remain unacceptably high. We need new policies in place from local communities to the federal government to protect women from harm.”(Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)