Black and Missing but Not Forgotten

Letter to the Black Press:

Where were you when 5 year old Shaniya Davis was being sold, raped and murdered a few weeks after her mother took her in? Where were you when Romona Moore’s mother was told not to take a missing person report by the police because she was “21” – apparently too old to be found four days later chained, raped, tortured and killed in a nearby basement? Where was you when Aarone Thompson disappeared for two years before her father (and alleged murderer) reported her missing? Where was the public outcry for these missing and now deceased girls?

When it was announced that People Magazine was to feature 6 young people who “Vanished Without a Trace”, I was ecstatic beyond words. Not just because all these children were going to receive national attention to help solved their cases, but that two underpublicized missing blacks (Adji Desir and Mitrice Richardson) were finally going to get a chance at the spotlight after what seemed like months of abandonment by the national media.

But my enthusiasm quickly faded away. While I read through the pieces about each missing child, I am reminded of the countless times I spent to get one missing black featured in black oriented newspapers and magazines. I was shot down almost every time I asked and those who showed interest did not follow through. I couldn’t fathom why missing blacks is not as big of an issue in the black community as HIV/AIDS, hip hop or even the popular discussion of “Good Hair” in Chris Rock latest documentary.

The statistics alone should be alarming:

During 2008, 778,161 persons were entered into the NCIC (National Crime Information Center) Missing Person File. Missing blacks accounted for 255,275 (33%) of these cases compared with 479,697 (62%) of Whites (Hispanics included).

Missing persons under the age of 18 accounted for 614,925 cases. Black children made up of 211,921 (34%) compared with just 25,333 (4%) of whites (including Hispanics). Pretty shocking when you know that the 34% wasn’t being reflected in last year national media. So where’s the news on these missing children? More importantly, why didn’t someone blink an eye about the fact that these missing black children were not accurately represented in the media? Shouldn’t that be call for concern?

I decided to do a little research to see how often missing blacks were really being represented in the media in 2008 compared to their white counterparts. It was done by doing a simple search through CNN.com, CBS News.com and ABC News.com for four children who disappeared in 2008.

I used the following children in my research, keeping them close in age for comparison:

- Selah Davis (black female age 2)
- Julian King (black male age 7) – Jennifer Hudson’s nephew
- Caylee Anthony (white female age 2)
- Cole Puffinburger (white male age 6)

The results were as follow:

On CNN.com: The number of mentions was: 0 [Selah], 57[Julian], 202[Caylee], and 4[Cole] respectively.

On CBS News: 0, 48, 92, and 3.

On ABC News: 0, 64, 194, and 25.

Being the infamous nephew of superstar Jennifer Hudson didn’t help here as some might say. Neither does being 4 months old (at the time of disappearance) and missing along with your mom and her friend. Nevertheless, in each case, missing whites had more coverage than missing blacks, at least 2 times the amount. Wow. But wait. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t missing persons in the media reflect what is entered into the NCIC database?

Tough luck if you’re a criminal justice major looking to study about a missing black person. Book and movies on them are almost nonexistent. A search for “Missing Persons” in the True Crime category of Barnes and Noble’s website came back with 18 items. None of them had a missing black person on the cover. Don’t even ask me to tell you the last three movies on a missing black. The two movies that did come to mind was “Gone Baby Gone” and “Changeling” – neither one of them focused on a missing black person. This is not to say that I’m going to the store just to look for a movie only on a missing black person, but if media bias should cease to exist, there should be a more accurate representation whether it’s on the news or in a movie. We make up the missing too.

So where are you black press? What are you waiting for? Why can’t Chioma Gray generate enough interest to be on the front page of your magazine? What does it take to get Yasmin Acree on every news channel you see? When are you going to help bring these loved ones home? The time is now. You have the power, the resources, and the funds to help bring a loved one home. Unless you can help me out in my endeavors (providing me with the resources you have), I suggest you use your time wisely.

With that said, let me be the first to challenge you. The following blacks are still missing (and many more where that came from):

- Tyesha Bell
- Jasmine Earl
- Hasanni Campbell
- Monica Renee Bowie
- Ali I. Grimsley-Gilmore
- Marcie Peterson
- Caleta White
- Asha Degree
- Brian Trester

I dare you to do around the clock coverage for ONE of them. National attention does not guarantee a missing person coming back home, but the more eyes and ears, the better. Are you up for the challenge?

Sincerely,

Black and Missing but Not Forgotten