Young Gifted Black and “Missing”
My Day
By Dr. J. Ester Davis
Esterdavis2000@gmail.com
Before starting this article, searching for a clearer direction, I made a few phone calls to ordinary people and asked the same question. “If you called your daughter 3x and she did not answer, what would you do next”. I was a bit more encouraged by this exercise because 60% of the parents recognized that the laws in place were obsolete and out of date.
First of all, it was called to my attention by one of my peers in the media that Quik Trip Corporation (the service station folks) have been a Safe Place site since 1991 for at risk youth and runaways. At the Chevron Station off I35, between Marsalis and Ewing Streets in Southern Dallas there is a sign in the window about five(5)missing girls under 19 years of age. Bigga Dre, Rapper, is using his music to highlight the growing numbers. And in 2020 The Congressional Black Caucus asked the Attorney General to look “into the missing cases”.
The grim reality is that “missing black girls” in America is teetering crisis mode. The FBI’s National Crime Information Center reported 651,000 missing persons in 2017. Nearly 40% of the missing are people of color and it is maintaining and exceeding that status. Recently, New York City reported 50 “missing black girls” in one day! If Black America makes up only 13% of the population, and plus/minus 40% of the missing are vanishing each year wherein is our existence headed? The internet and social media will give rounds of information, websites, stats by state and statistics, but solves no problems. How do we prevent this disease? What awareness campaigns in the neighborhoods should be ignited? What is your pleasure? More media coverage of the missing or in depth awareness campaigns with grit? Please do not mention ‘disparities in media coverage”. That is such an old movie with such a sad theme song. Our children do not watch television. They have cell phones.
One of the stories published by the Black and Missing Foundation (www.bamfi.org) writes about 19 year old Ashanti Billie, who was kidnapped while heading to work in 2017. Authorities recovered her body days later. Ashanti did not qualify for the Amber or Silver Alert, which notifies the public about missing children and seniors.
The State of Virginia enacted The Ashanti Alert, which bridges the age gap. Ashanti’s mother said that action was “not for my children or grandchildren, but for young ones around the world”. That is action and a good pro active answer to my opening question. What should be done next? Ester Davis (214.376.9000).
