For as long as the United States has been in existence, Black women have been underrepresented, especially when it comes to the coverage they get in the media.
Not to diminish the importance of any missing person, but how many times have we seen a white woman or girl go missing, and the country collectively rallies to help find her and cover the story? But when a Black woman or girl goes missing, there is little to no media coverage and the urgency of local authorities is not nearly at the level it should be.
It’s an issue that has needed to be addressed for decades, and despite the actions of some activists, there haven’t been any major changes in state or local law to help prioritize the lives of such an underrepresented group. Not until recently at least.
Recently, a Wisconsin State representative has proposed that a task force dedicated to cases involving missing and murdered Black women and girls be created, according to FOX6 Milwaukee.
Some may ask, why should they make such a task force? Shouldn’t we just hold local police departments accountable and make sure they treat every missing person’s case with the same level of seriousness?
I understand that argument. In response, I would say for too long Black women and girls have been disproportionately underrepresented. So much so that other demographics have lapped Black women for the amount of coverage they’ve gotten in media and attention they’ve gotten from local police departments. As a result, “extra” actions have to be taken to ensure that Black women don’t go missing with little to no action to help find them.
This is why I thought it was a good thing that California Governor Gavin Newson signed Senate Bill 673, a new law allowing police to request the activation of notifications, known as “Ebony alerts,” when Black women and children ages 12-25 are reported missing. These notifications would be used in a similar way as AMBER alerts.
More from FOX6 Milwaukee:
In 2022, Stubbs said Black women and girls comprised 36% of total missing women in the U.S. She said the task force would have 19 members including legislators, law enforcement, legal experts and organizations focused on violence.
“I believe Black women and Black girls deserve to grow up in Wisconsin and be safe in the state of Wisconsin,” said Stubbs. “We want to look at patterns, underlying factors, to explain why its disproportionate higher levels of violence that occurred.”
Rep. Stubbs is currently waiting for the Wisconsin State Assembly to approve the proposal.