Shining a light on the crisis of missing or murdered black women and girls in the US
By Linda
A. Seabrook, US Department of Justice, published November 22, 2024 two months before Ms. Seabrook left DOJ
NOTICE
from the Trump Administration: This is an archive page that is no longer being updated.
It may contain outdated information and links may no longer function as
originally intended.
Screenshot from the New York Post
The United States faces a deeply troubling crisis that has
not received the attention it deserves—the alarming number of missing or
murdered Black women and girls. Despite the devastating impacts on families and
communities throughout the country, the epidemic of missing or murdered Black
women and girls has largely remained a silent one. It is time to confront this
issue with the urgency and coordinated response it warrants.
On November 12, 2024, the Department of Justice’s Office of
Justice Programs held a national convening in Washington, D.C., focused on
addressing the crisis of missing or murdered Black women and girls. The event
brought together family members, survivors, law enforcement, advocates,
journalists, and state leaders, along with federal agency colleagues, to raise
awareness of the issue, inform potential future programming and resources,
learn from state efforts, and encourage a more robust response to missing and
murdered Black women and girls.
The Scale of the Crisis
Black women and girls are disproportionately affected by
violence, trafficking, and systemic neglect, leading to high rates of their
disappearance, and placing them at greater risk for homicide. Although they
make up a significant portion of missing person cases in the U.S., their
stories often go underreported and unnoticed by national media and law
enforcement.
According to the National Crime Information Center, in 2022,
of the 271,493 girls and women reported missing, 97,924, or over 36 percent,
were Black, despite the fact that Black women and girls comprised only 14
percent of the U.S. female population at the time.
In addition, according to a recent study published in the
peer-reviewed general medical journal The Lancet, Black women are six times
more likely to be murdered than their white peers. These stark and tragic
statistics reveal and underscore systemic issues of bias, neglect, and a lack
of resources that hinder effective responses to this crisis.
Raising Awareness & Supporting Programming
Raising public awareness is a critical first step in
addressing this epidemic. Media outlets play a pivotal role in shaping
narratives and mobilizing public interest. Too often, cases involving Black
women and girls do not receive the same level of attention as those involving
white victims. Missing Black women and girls rarely make the evening news or
become a household name with nightly national coverage.
News organizations can play a pivotal role in combating this
imbalance, building on the leadership of many Black journalists who have
advocated to tell the stories of missing and murdered Black people through
their news organizations or platforms. In addition, partnerships between media
organizations and alert systems can help ensure that missing Black women and
girls are highlighted more prominently and consistently.
Augmenting investments in platforms that amplify the voices
of families, and organizations and advocates fighting for justice, can create
the momentum needed to equalize awareness of missing Black women and girls and
drive necessary policy change to better respond to this crisis.
Learning from State Efforts
Several states have initiated programs that could serve as
models for broader approaches throughout the nation. For instance, some state
governments and law enforcement agencies have established dedicated task forces
or units focused on addressing missing women and girls of color. These task
forces often work in collaboration with community organizations and advocacy
groups to bridge trust gaps, improve case management, inform investigative
efforts, and facilitate better communication with affected families.
Understanding the successes and challenges of these state
initiatives can provide valuable lessons for shaping comprehensive solutions.
Sharing best practices, such as data-driven investigations, community
engagement and outreach strategies, standard protocols for investigating
reports of missing persons, and referrals to culturally specific services and
assistance for survivors and families, can help improve responses across
jurisdictions.
The Need for a More Robust Federal Response
While state and local initiatives are commendable, a
nationwide epidemic calls for a national response. A robust federal strategy
could include enhanced resources for the development of law enforcement
training, community outreach and awareness campaigns, and support for
culturally specific victim services. Improved data collection efforts and
focused research on the root causes of the vulnerabilities of Black women and
girls that may lead to disproportionate levels of violence could inform
prevention programming and improve responses that enhance public safety for
all.
Moving Forward
Addressing the epidemic of missing or murdered Black women and girls requires collective action from all sectors of society. By raising awareness, investing in programs, supporting culturally specific services, and developing a more coordinated response, we can begin to turn the tide on this silent crisis. Every report of a missing Black woman or girl represents a person—a mother, daughter, grandmother, niece, sister, or friend—whose life and story deserve recognition and justice.
For far too long we have allowed systemic and societal
failures to disproportionately impact Black communities, leaving them
particularly vulnerable to violence and abuse – law enforcement that is too
often unresponsive when Black women say they are victims or when Black families
report their loved ones as missing; schools that punish the little Black girl
who is “acting out,” in class, instead of recognizing her unspoken cries for
help; child welfare agencies that too often break apart Black families and funnel
Black children into the foster care system; and a society that both consciously
and unconsciously sexualizes and adultifies Black girls, refusing to see them
as innocent and worthy of protection. We can address and remedy these failures
so that that the next Black girl who needs help, the next Black woman who faces
violence, is seen, heard, believed, and protected.
Let us commit to being the change that brings their stories
to light and propels meaningful action to end this crisis.
Ms. Seabrook left her position as Senior Counsel, Racial Justice & Equity at the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs in January 2025 after Donald Trump's inauguration.