Denise Brown, the older sister of Nicole Brown Simpson, is traveling across the United States to raise awareness about domestic violence. In a recent interview, Brown explained that she once believed her sister was not a battered woman, but new evidence from Nicole’s journals changed her perspective.
From denial to advocacy
During the 1995 criminal trial of O.J. Simpson, Brown testified that she had taken photographs of Nicole’s bruised face, neck and arms after a 1989 incident that prompted a 911 call. That was the ninth police response to the couple’s home, but the first in which Simpson was arrested and charged with spousal battery. Although Simpson was later acquitted in the criminal case, a civil jury found him liable for Nicole’s death in 1997.
Brown said she initially thought the photographs represented an isolated event because she did not understand the cycle of domestic violence. “Domestic violence was something that we did not grow up with,” she told CNN.
Journals reveal the hidden abuse
Years later, a family member discovered Nicole’s diaries in her condo. When Brown read the entries, she was shocked by the depth of the abuse. “I started looking, and I thought, ‘Oh my God, why didn’t she tell us?’” she recalled.
She took the journals to the director of a local women’s shelter, seeking professional help to answer the many questions that arise when a loved one is abused: Why didn’t she leave? What signs were missed?
New memoir and a call to action
Brown’s experiences culminated in a memoir titled For My Sister Nicole: Love Shouldn’t Hurt — What to Know About Domestic Violence, released during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The book aims to give Nicole a voice, highlight warning signs, and provide guidance for friends and family trying to help victims.
“I want to be able to save lives with this book. I hope it does, because I miss her,” Brown said. “I just don’t want a family to go through what we had to go through.”
National impact and statistics
According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, more than one in three women and one in six men in the United States experience physical violence, sexual violence or stalking. Those figures exclude emotional, psychological, financial and spiritual abuse, which are also common.
Katie Ray‑Jones, CEO of the Hotline, noted that abuse cuts across socioeconomic status, education, geography, race and gender identity. “Many people who call the hotline will say, ‘I always said I would never let this happen to me, I would never let a man hit me. And now I’m calling you,’” she said.
Recognizing the signs
Experts stress that victims often hide abuse. Dr. Nicolyn Charlot, a researcher on intimate‑partner violence, warned that people may miss early or subtle warning signs by attributing them to benign causes.
Common indicators include frequent arguments, dramatic mood swings, withdrawal from social activities, unexplained injuries, and a partner’s controlling behavior—such as demanding access to phones or imposing strict rules on the victim’s social life.
Denise Brown emphasizes that the stereotypical image of a “battered woman” does not fit many victims. “My strong‑willed, stubborn, and capable sister was the absolute antithesis of what those words conjured in my mind,” she wrote.
Moving forward
Brown’s advocacy work includes speaking at women’s shelters, police stations, universities, hospitals and churches. She hopes her story will empower families to recognize abuse early and intervene safely.
The power‑and‑control wheel, created by the Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs, illustrates how abusers use subtle tactics—such as intimidation, guilt‑tripping and isolation—before escalating to physical or sexual violence.
By sharing Nicole’s experience, Denise Brown aims to break the silence that often surrounds domestic violence and to equip communities with the tools needed to protect vulnerable loved ones.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
