Action Oriented Citizens Place Billboards About Missing Black Women
Friday, July 31, 2009 at 9:47AM The Blogmother North Carolina residents have been concerned about the whereabouts of some of the women in their area. Instead of talking about it but doing nothing or waiting for someone else to take the lead they did. They purchased billboard ads along the interstate and started an initiative called MOMS (Missing or Murdered Sisters). I think this is a brilliant idea and about time! It indicates to the criminals that their activity is being monitored. It lets law enforcement know accountability is expected in investigating what has happened to these women. It encourages residents to know that black women (and girls) are still VALUED. This needs to be a national campaign and in every town or city across the country.
The billboard changes profiles every 8 seconds. The people that bought the ad space received a discount from the advertiser but will need donations to continue running them. You can donate to the Edgecombe County, North Carolina group by taking a check payable to "MOMS" to any Wachovia bank branch. The local branch number is 252-937-2854. I'm sure they will also accept a wire transfer or other transactions as well.
You can read more at Essential Presence blog.
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Reader Comments (17)
I grew up in Raleigh. Will do. Will pass this on.
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as an aside, a local blog: comment on stolen dog over 300 comments. comment on missing Latina - 4 comments; 2 sarcastic
This is great! I'll pass it on, too.
The really sad thing is that most of these black women are probably dead. Each one of those missing women on the billboard is most likely a murder case. I wonder if someone like John Walsh from America's Most Wanted would do a show or series highlighting the increasingly large numbers of missing black women in this country? Would people balk at the idea of focusing specifically on black women for such a show, despite the fact that missing black women are seldom reported in the MSM?
I'll be stopping by my local wachovia as soon as I get off from work. This is a brilliant idea!
Thanks everyone.
@Duane I think your focus would best be served in taking positive constructive action. Like donating. Like writing to the AMW and demanding that they do a show covering missing black women. One small step can make all the difference in the world.
Thank you i'll defitnetly be giving i'm gonna defitnetly show not only in word but in deed that the state of black women most certainly matters to me.i will pass this on.
That is a great idea for a sad situation. Being proactive and not waiting for someone else to do it for you is key!
It someone could pass this on to MOMS:
To Submit a Case to AMW.com
AMW can only accept missing person cases that have been reported to police. If you have not yet reported your case to local authorities, you should do so immediately.
To have your case considered for America's Most Wanted and AMW.com, send a letter with the following elements to:
America's Most Wanted
Missing Persons Unit
P.O. Box Crime TV
Washington, DC 20016
Your full name and contact information. Be sure to include phone numbers and e-mail addresses where we can reach you during the day.
Name and contact information of law enforcement personnel assigned to the case
Your written description of circumstances surrounding the disappearance
@Duane
John Walsh shouldn't balk. He's done special theme shows on missing kids so a special on missing Black women should be no big deal.
As Faith pointed out, we need to demand that AMW do the special.
@Faith
Good job posting this. I will pass it along.
Check out the website http://blackandmissing.blogspot.com. I totally agree with Duane that the plight of missing black people, children and adults both, needs NATIONAL exposure. It is time to END racial-selective blindness!
I definitely like the idea of billboards!
I will pass this on for sure.
This is absolutely wonderful! It brings me such hope that things are changing for the better for black women. We've got to advocate for ourselves, insist on making ourselves a priority in every respect. Thank you so much for this post.
For those who have blogs: Get the widget from the "Black And Missing" website
Actually it interesting folks are mentioning Black and Missing. When was the last time you peeked in to check on the site or the blogger that runs the site. Just saying. If you think its a valuable resource, how have you supported her efforts in a tangible way? When was the last time you told her you rely one her site for updates or left an encouraging word?
This is GREAT. And by the way, I subscribed to the Black and Missing blog at least a year ago. The owner hasn't posted in a while though (unless it's a different site now and I didn't kow about it).
This is a good idea.
I remember earlier this year that actress Aasha Davis's sister http://www.wqad.com/news/wqad-aasha-davis-sister-missing-032509,0,4356595.story" rel="nofollow">Lesley Herring had disappeared (with the sister's husband being a "person of interest"), and it seemed to be all over the news. But it seems as if they stopped posting information about this case soon after. I can't find any new info on it past March.
I think that case garnered attention because the missing woman's sister is an actress on TV, and I highly doubt it would've gotten even that kind of attention had Aasha not been an actress. If this were a case of Natalee Holloway, she'd still be in the news.
This is a really good idea and I'm glad people cared enough to do this.