Ladies and Gentlemen, it has been quite an interesting week. There have been many news breaking stories shared across the United States.
But one that caught my eye and millions of viewers in the past week was the abduction of Carlee Russell.
After seeing her picture on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, I watched the unity of the Black community rise as individuals fought together to bring her home safely.
While many stories have connected to Russell’s abduction, one remains true.
There are a lot of Missing Black Women, Men, and Children in the United States.
Usually, our conversations For Your Immediate Attention are slightly more lighthearted, but today I want to focus on something important.
For the past few days, Instagram and Facebook have asked, “If Russell’s story is not true, how do we continue to get resources to find the many Black women and children missing from their homes across our nation”?
After much thought and processing all that I heard from news stations, radio stations, social media sites, and friends, one way is to continue to discuss those who are missing.
We will never know the whole story, but the unity we had as a community to find our own can still be used to find others.
According to the Black & Missing Foundation, as of 2022, “Of the 546 568 persons reported missing in 2022, 39% were minority. Yet, African Americans make up only 13% of the population” (Black & Missing Foundation, 2023).
Let me break that down a little further for you.
For example, “214, 582 persons of color were reported missing. Of that group, 153, 374 were under 18” (Black & Missing Foundation, 2023).
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have more work to do. There are more individuals for us to find.
And I can’t promise we will know the whole story. I can’t promise that we will see every detail.
I can’t promise we will be able to confirm or deny each fact they inform law enforcement.
I can only promise that when they are returned, we will have helped find one of the 214 582 persons of color missing in our nation.
I know many individuals are shocked, disheartened, confused, and hopeful about what was shared this past week.
But I ask that we don’t get stuck there. Instead, we continue to find the other ones who are still missing.
Yes, it takes much work to get news coverage. Yes, it is hard to get others to believe. Yes, finding the resources to make searches possible is challenging.
But just because something is hard doesn’t make it impossible!
There are others out there counting on us to find them!
So, today I ask that you stop by the Black and Missing Foundation’s website and read some of the listed names.
Learn a little about them, see how long they’ve been missing, and see what you can do to share information about them, whether on social media, to your friend group, or anyone who will listen.
Today’s message is for the Black men, children, and women missing across our 50 states.
May we never stop fighting to bring them home!
This post is for Dasia Thomas from Plymouth, MA, whose been missing since 2021.
This post is for Rosa Ramos from Boston, MA, whose been missing since 2010.
This post is for Terence Akins from Long Beach, CA, whose been missing since 2020.
This post is for Lamoine Allen from Woodville, MS, whose been missing since 1992.
And, the countless others who are still missing from their homes….
We may not have all the news outlets, but we have each other!
Until next time!
Peace & Prosperity, as always,
Jadis “IHateAdulthood” DeShong-Venay
References:
Black & Missing Foundation, Inc. (2023, July 21). Missing Persons Statistics 2022. Black & Missing Foundation, Inc. https://www.blackandmissinginc.com/statistics/
Black & Missing Foundation, Inc. (2023, July 21). Search for A Missing Person. Black & Missing Foundation, Inc. https://www.blackandmissinginc.com/search/