April 11, 2024

We Remember Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman

O.J. Simpson passed away today from prostate cancer. But our minds are more keenly focused on the loss of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, who suffered ongoing abuse at the hands of O.J., and her friend Ron Goldman, who were brutally murdered. 

Nicole secretly documented the bruises on her face. But her last photo of her almost decapitated and in a fetal position stunned the world. How could we put the jovial, charismatic football star together with the images of a double murder? 

As much as we have learned from this and passage of the Violence Against Women Act, the tragedy continues to play out each day in homes across the nation. Every nine minutes a victim is abused. One in four women will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime and almost one in five will be murdered like Nicole. Murder is the number one cause of death among pregnant and post-partum women. And 3.3 million children witness the abuse, preconditioning many to become victims or abusers themselves.

We offer our condolences to Ron Goldman and Nicole’s family including O.J.’s children and grandchildren. We remember they were Nicole’s, too.

Because women deserve better,

Serrin M. Foster
President

For readers struggling with intimate partner violence, please share our resources on our Women Deserve Better helpsite.