This is an Action Diary. Just like with Pretty Bird Woman House, I'm hoping that when you are done reading you will be moved to take action to help others. While you certainly can give financially, that's probably not what would help the most. A list of action items can be found at the end of the diary and if you have any suggestions we have overlooked, please include that suggestion in the comments.
You've heard the story; promising young teenager in a on trip in a foreign country goes missing. Parents are frantic to find out something, anything. Despite initially instituting a search, foreign officials eventually wind up treating the case in a dismissive manner. Members of congress take up the cause. Finally, the worst is confirmed.
Natalee Holloway, right?
Wrong. This young woman you have never heard of is Phylicia Moore.
Phylicia Moore
The Google results for the two teen girls are ugly. 1, 400,000 hits for "Natalee Holloway" and 1,400 for "Phylicia Moore." Google news results are even more stark: 1,400 for "Natalee Holloway" and 0 for "Phylicia Moore." As far as I can tell there are really only two differences between the two young women; Phylicia is black, Natalee is white. Phylicia's parents are middle income and Natalee's parents are very wealthy. Does that explain the difference in media coverage? And if so, what can be done about it?
The difference in media coverage even has a name: White Woman Syndrome, a common affliction for our media. In Jon Stewart's America, The Book, he boiled it down an explanation of how the media covers disappearances into a humorous equation:
I laughed cynically when I saw that equation but the laughter kind of stuck in my throat when I saw this list of black women and children who disappeared just this January 2008 - Just scroll through - you'll get my point:
Missing: January 2008
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Crystal Anderson
DOB: Jan 6, 1991
Missing: Jan 8, 2008
Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Age Now: 17
Sex: Female
Weight: 120 lbs (54 kg)
Hair: Brown
Missing From: Las Vegas, NV
Crystal was last seen on January 8, 2008. She may be in the company of an adult male.
Jeanice Brown
DOB: Feb 15, 1992
Missing: Jan 22, 2008
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Age Now: 15
Sex: Female
Weight: 190 lbs (86 kg)
Hair: Brown
Missing From: Baltimore, MD
Jeanice may still be in the local area. Her ears are pierced. Jeanice has a scar on the side of her face. She may go by the nickname Ne Ne.
Radazea Burden
DOB: Nov 4, 1991
Missing: Jan 11, 2008
Height: 5'1" (155 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Age Now: 16
Sex: Female
Weight: 130 lbs (59 kg)
Hair: Black
Missing From: Saint Stephen, SC
Radazea was last seen on January 11, 2008. She may still be in the local area.
Tiana Deramous
DOB: Aug 4, 1991
Missing: Jan 14, 2008
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Age Now: 16
Sex: Female
Weight: 125 lbs (57 kg)
Hair: Brown
Missing From: Laurel, MD
Tiana was last seen on January 14, 2008. Her ears are pierced.
Anna Jackson
DOB: Jan 23, 1991
Missing: Jan 22, 2008
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Age Now: 17
Sex: Female
Weight: 146 lbs (66 kg)
Hair: Black
Missing From: Chicago, IL
Anna may still be in the local area. She may use the alias first name Ashley.
Crystal Mayfield
DOB: Apr 18, 1992
Missing: Jan 31, 2008
Height: 5'3" (160 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Age Now: 15
Sex: Female
Weight: 130 lbs (59 kg)
Hair: Black
Missing From: Downers Grove, IL
Crystal was last seen on January 31, 2008. She may be in the Chicago, Illinois area.
Brittany Mayweathers
DOB: Jan 30, 1991
Missing: Jan 11, 2008
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Age Now: 17
Sex: Female
Weight: 120 lbs (54 kg)
Hair: Black
Missing From: Spartanburg, SC
Brittany was last seen on January 11, 2008. She may still be in the local area or she may travel out of state. Brittany may go by the name Monique.
Ke’Ocesha McNeil
DOB: Dec 8, 1994
Missing: Jan 2, 2008
Height: 5'4" (163 cm)
Eyes: Black
Race: Black
Age Now: 13
Sex: Female
Weight: 115 lbs (52 kg)
Hair: Brown
Missing From: Forestville, MD
Ke'Ocesha was last seen on January 2, 2008. She may go by the nick name Ke-Ke.
Demetyria Powell
DOB: Nov 29, 1990
Missing: Jan 16, 2008
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Age Now: 17
Sex: Female
Weight: 140 lbs (64 kg)
Hair: Brown
Missing From: Lynchburg, VA
Demetria was last seen on January 16, 2008 wearing gray sweatpants and a short brown coat with fur around the hood and black shoes. She may still be in the local area.
Kamacha Rayford
DOB: Jan 12, 1991
Missing: Jan 26, 2008
Height: 5'4" (163 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Age Now: 17
Sex: Female
Weight: 157 lbs (71 kg)
Hair: Black
Missing From: Chicago, IL
Kamacha was last seen on January 26, 2008. She may go by the nickname Mesha or Kamesha.
Jillian Ross
DOB: May 29, 1991
Missing: Jan 12, 2008
Age Now: 16
Sex: Female
Race: Black
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'5" (165 cm)
Weight: 130 lbs (59 kg)
Missing From: Dallas, TX
Both photos shown are of Jillian. She may still be in the local area, or she may have traveled to Houston, Texas. Jillian has a scar under her left eyebrow. Her nickname is Jill.
Danielle Rountree
DOB: May 7, 1992
Missing: Jan 22, 2008
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Age Now: 15
Sex: Female
Weight: 165 lbs (75 kg)
Hair: Black
Missing From: Tampa, FL
Danielle was last seen on January 22, 2008. She has tattoos on her left leg and on her right forearm.
Selina Smith
DOB: Aug 8, 1990
Missing: Jan 4, 2008
Height: 5'10" (178 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Age Now: 17
Sex: Female
Weight: 160 lbs (73 kg)
Hair: Black
Missing From: Germantown, MD
Subject is missing from Germantown, Montgomery County, Maryland. Subject wears earrings, and has hair extensions.
Deshonmonique Staton
DOB: Jun 1, 1993
Missing: Jan 6, 2008
Height: 5'4" (163 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Age Now: 14
Sex: Female
Weight: 150 lbs (68 kg)
Hair: Black
Missing From: Dallas, TX
Deshonmonique may still be in the local area. She has braces on her teeth. Deshonmonique may go by the nickname Monique. She may dye her hair.
Jakala Walker
DOB: Jun 10, 1991
Missing: Jan 5, 2008
Height: 5'3" (160 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Age Now: 16
Sex: Female
Weight: 190 lbs (86 kg)
Hair: Black
Missing From: Chicago, IL
Jakala was last seen on January 5, 2008. She may still be in the local area.
Jelicia Washington
DOB: Sep 14, 1990
Missing: Jan 9, 2008
Height: 5'4" (163 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Age Now: 17
Sex: Female
Weight: 210 lbs (95 kg)
Hair: Black
Missing From: Portland, OR
Jelicia was last seen on January 9, 2008. Her ears are pierced. She may go by the nick name J.
Tiajah Webb
DOB: Jul 10, 1994
Missing: Jan 29, 2008
Height: 5'6" (168 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Age Now: 13
Sex: Female
Weight: 180 lbs (82 kg)
Hair: Brown
Missing From: Baltimore Country, MD
Subject is missing from Baltimore County, Maryland. Subject frequents the Baltimore County / Baltimore City area. Subject was last seen wearing a turquois jacket, white hoodie sweatshirt, and blue jeans.
Naikishia Williams
DOB: Jun 29, 1993
Missing: Jan 1, 2008
Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Age Now: 14
Sex: Female
Weight: 165 lbs (75 kg)
Hair: Brown
Missing From: West Palm Beach, FL
Naikishia may still be in the local area. She has "Nikkie" tattooed on her left arm. Naikishia may go by the nick name Kishia.
Cydney Williams
DOB: Jul 3, 1991
Missing: Jan 2, 2008
Height: 5'3" (160 cm)
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Age Now: 16
Sex: Female
Weight: 136 lbs (62 kg)
Hair: Black
Missing From: Bethesda, MD
Subject is missing from Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland. Subject has a pierced nose.
[Source]
All of these people disappeared over the course of just one month.
The post above is one of thousands that crime blogger Deidra has done over the past eight months at her blog Black and Missing But Not Forgotten. She has taken on the job of speaking for those who have no voice, for those whose advocates voices are ignored by the media. Her blog is small, but powerful and focused, a tool designed for the purpose of helping missing black women. Deidra is focused on solutions to the problem and she might well have hit on one important way to tackle the way the media covers these cases - use the internet as her platform to address the unequal coverage.
I got a chance to talk with her a bit about her blog and I will be posting bits of that interview over the next few action diaries on Black and Missing But Not Forgotten. I knew I wanted to help her as soon as I saw her blog - I thought this is a place where the progressive blogosphere can help, and with more than money. But let me introduce Deidra to you:
Q: I see that you started doing this back in July of 2007 after hearing about Stepha Henry - what spoke to you about that case? Why did that inspire you?
Like me, Stepha was a black college educated young woman with a lot going for her. I’ve heard of several stories about missing black women but the way her case was being handled really disappointed me. I was frustrated at that time to find only two blog articles and an outdated AMW profile on her. Stepha was missing for a month and her story was barely being picked up. What really set me off though was this quote from (The Miami Herald's Reporter David Ovalle) on Miami Herald’s Crime Scene blog note: not online any longer:
"I’m livid. I agreed to conduct a last-minute interview with MSNBC about the case of missing Stepha Henry, the 22-year-old college grad who went missing May 29 from Miami-Dade. I rushed to MSNBC’s studio but a few minutes before the interview, I was told that it was off—Paris Hilton coverage was more important."
I couldn’t stand to see how Stepha was being ignored... (instead they covered) someone who chose to drink and drive. Stepha didn’t choose to be kidnapped. She deserved better than that.
I know from your first email to me that you are a woman of faith, obviously strong faith. What role does your faith play in your blog?
I was always taught to love and to treat people the way I would want to be treated. Since I was little, there were three words hanging up on the wall just above my headboard. These words were "Hope", "Faith", and "Charity(Love)".
These words came from 1 Corinthians chapter 13 and verse 13 in the Holy Bible. It says: "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." Basically this verse is saying that all these things are eternal (nothing can ruin it) but the greatest of all of them is love.
I usually live my life by these three words. If you translate that into the work I do then I can put it like this: I have hope that these women are found, faith that God will see them through, and love for those who need it just as much as I do. Somebody has to care about these women, if God do, why not me?
What message does it send to African-American women that so many women disappear with almost no media coverage? How big of a component do you think race is in this? How about poverty?
A lot of (African-American women) had the same reaction that I did when I first started researching. They didn’t know that some many were missing. They were also angry about the lack of coverage. A lot of them wonder: "If I go missing, will anybody care?" I think race does play a role in some cases. I know that it will not play a role in all cases but people can’t deny that it does in some. Just because someone doesn’t admit it doesn’t mean that race is not a factor.
Poverty in my opinion definitely plays a role. Income plays a role as well. If you’re not in the right social class, then you won’t have a lot of access to the resources that are available to help you in your searches. Some might debate me about this but it seems like the more money you have the more media coverage you get.
Does doing this blog give you hope?
Yes it does. I’ve posted several stories on women that were found and with each case I examine the positives and negatives and try to come up with better ways to find the next missing person. I learn a little bit more every day and one of these days I hope that my blog help hundreds of families find their loved ones. I hope to come up with a way to find most of these women faster and free of harm.
Action Items:
Blogroll or link to Black and Missing! http://blackandmissing.blogspot.com/ The more of us who blogroll Black and Missing, the more eyes, the more links, the higher the profile, the more traffic, maybe even media attention she gets.
Put Black and Missing in your Kos profile. Every time you write a diary or someone visits your profile, there it is!
You can contribute financially right here via Paypal.
Deidra mentioned to me that she's having trouble setting up RSS news feeds so she can get the information rapidly.Using Google, it takes Deidra a long time to compile the information. Do you have the tech skills to help her develop a rapid, automatic feed so that she does not have to spend hours hunting for information? If so, please email me at kiltedliberal at mac dot com and I will pass your contact information to Deidra.
Web design - Deidra would like to redo her website but does not have the time/skills for it. Can you help her? Keep in mind her needs include the ability to rapidly post many images of missing people. She may also benefit from some sort of database to track cases. If you have mad computer skillz and think you can help, please email me at kiltedliberal at mac dot com and I'll pass your contact information to her.
Who in the media can we contact about this? Tavis Smiley and Oprah Winfrey come to mind but I still hate to think of this kind of work as a "black" issue. How do we help Deidra amplify this message?
I'm going to hit on this several times over the next month and then we'll see if we can't find a new issue for Giving Liberally to tackle.
This diary is not meant to disparage the murder of Natalee Holloway. That was a terrible tragedy and I wish she were alive today. But the media reaction to Natalee's murder as compared to their reaction to the disappearance and likely murder of so many young women of color is starkly obscene.