Franciene Black's little girl, the teenager who loved her new puppy, and loved her family. Her name is Chioma Gray and she's gone. Missing since December 13th. Not a trace.
But nobody cares. Nobody outside of her family noticed. It hasn't made the news. It's like Chioma Gray does not exist.
There is someone besides her family who noticed. There is someone who cares. Her name is Deidra and she runs a blog called Black and Missing but Not Forgotten, a blog devoted to to missing black women and children whose cased are overlooked and ignored by the media. And Deidra could use your help.
UPDATE: Over $600 raised!
UPDATE X 2: Over $1080 raised! And finally... A Link to the Chip In Page
Deidra's big problem is this: she has a very small microphone and amplifier with which to broadcast her message. Essentially she has a small blog hosted on Blogger and has started to make YouTube videos to publicize these overlooked cases. But Deidra is just a college student. She has no particular technical background, no web design training. She's just a blogger, making it up as she goes along.
Deidra was inspired by the case of Stepha Henry, a young black woman who simply vanished in a crowded nightclub:
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 I was frustrated at that time to find only two blog articles and an outdated America's Most Wanted profile on her.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: this interview is 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.
Since she started Black and Missing nine months ago, Deidra has covered literally thousands of cases of missing African American women and children. She puts in dozens of hours of research into these cases each week. And she posts about them, day and night.
What Deidra needs is a bigger microphone and a much louder amplifier. You can help give that to her - and it does not cost you anything except time and goodwill (unless you choose to donate)
HOW YOU CAN HELP BLACK AND MISSING SUCCEED:
Help Deidra Set Up Newsfeeds!
This is really critical for her. Deidra spends hours on Google trying to learn about each case. If she could get newsfeeds set up, the feed would bring the information to her making her job much easier, more efficient and her coverage more effective and comprehensive.
Do you know how to set up a newsfeed? Are you willing to help Black and Missing with this? Email me about the Black and Missing Newsfeed Project.
Link to Black and Missing on your blog
Just cut and paste and you are done: <a href="http://blackandmissing.blogspot.com">Black and Missing But Not Forgotten</a>
or you can grab this cool graphic:
by using this code: <a href="http://blackandmissing.blogspot.com/" target="_self"> <img border="0" alt="" src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y161/mzdeidra/blackandmissing_02b-2.jpg"/>
Friend Black and Missing On MySpace
Right here. You know what to do - or join MySpace and learn how!
Daily Kos Members: Add Black and Missing to your Daily Kos profile Blogroll
Spreading the word is key to the work Deidra does. Taking just a few seconds to do this raises the visibility of these victims and these issues.
Recommend Deidra's first YouTube Video:
Log in, Recommend and help more people see the video.
Donate
We're doing a very small fundraiser - $5,000 is the goal. The money will be used to develop the blog, develop access to information services about missing persons, possibly advertise the blog to raise its profile, help redevelop and redesign the site (maybe move to its own domain from blogger). These goals are somewhat vague right now because until I encouraged Deidra to set up a chip in she really had not thought about how a small amount of capital could assist her in this mission.
If you can, please Donate right here. Give a little and help spread the word.
Note: Daily Kos/Street Prophets do not allow for live widgets so this is a static image but will link you to the donation page. We have not set up a page where you can monitor the widget yet.
Some thoughts on Black and Missing:
Deidra is a college student doing this on her own - my goal is to try to set her up with the resources to really develop this. Black and Missing is a beautiful idea and I don't want to see it disappear because it becomes too much work or overwhelming to Deidra. I'd also like us to put her in a postion where she is not alone in doing this - that way if she does decide to move on she can hand it off and it can keep going.
If you have ideas or suggestions, please post them in the comments below. Thank you and Blessings!
This diary is a part of the Giving Liberally project which is intended to encourage the progressive netroots to volunteer for, support and donate to worthy progressive charities and causes.