(BLACK PR WIRE)(FAMU-TALLAHASSEE) ( August 28, 2009) - - “Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up” and “love never faileth” are two scriptures from 1 Corinthians. Love is many things, but one thing that it should not be is painful. So, why are so many young African-American couples involved in abusive domestic relationships?

The most recent publicized domestic violence relationship is that of young celebrity singers Chris Brown and Rhianna. These two have been linked together for more than a year and in late January everything took a turn for the worse. Brown allegedly got in an altercation with Rhianna while the two were in his car. Pictures of the badly abused victim surfaced everywhere on the internet following their fight. Despite all this, weeks later the two are rumored to be back together.

“I don’t quite understand what makes a man want to beat a woman,” said Rodshawn Dorsey, 22, a nursing major at Florida A&M University. “Moreover, I don’t understand what makes a woman stay in a relationship like that.”

In March, Abuse Awareness Month is observed and much light is shed on domestic violence issues. “Counseling in relationships is necessary, especially when someone is being abused,” said James Williams, a pastor and marriage counselor. “There usually are some deep issues involved when an abusive relationship exists; the most common is when the abuser grew up in a home filled with violence.”

Domestic violence is not very far removed from many people’s lives. Almost everyone knows someone who is a victim of domestic violence or someone who is abusive. “The couple who resides upstairs above my apartment is in an abusive relationship,” said Shannon Brown, SES teacher with the Boys and Girls Club of America. “I hear them at least three times a week. Once, I called the police at 4:00 a.m. because the fighting awoke me from my sleep, but the next day the couple was back together.” Brown said, “I figured, how can I help her if she continues to go back?”