According to the latest figures from the FBI’s National Crime Information Center database, over half a million people were reported missing in 2021. Of those missing, more than 350,000 were children and from those cases more than 70,000 were Black girls. It’s an alarming number, but what’s more distressing is the racial disparity between how missing Black girls are reported by law enforcement agencies and the news media.
Until recently, researchers have begun collecting data on the reports of missing persons of color to address this inequity. However, criticism over the misinformation to the public on missing Black girls as “runaways” perpetuates a distorted narrative, instead of recognizing the damaging effects both physically and psychologically for these victims of kidnapping, exploitation and trafficking.
Sadly, getting help in cases involving missing Black girls can be almost non-existent compared to cases involving white girls, where some victims make national headlines and become household names. Experts say time is crucial when locating a missing child, so what more can be done to find missing Black girls?
Host Phillip Martin will be joined by City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson of District 7; Rahsaan Hall, principal at Rahsaan Hall Consulting; Alexandria Onuoha, director of political advocacy for Black Boston; and Gaétane Borders, president and CEO of Peas in Their Pods in Atlanta.
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