EMU Today

YPSILANTI - While 37 percent of missing children are black girls, they receive only 7 percent of media coverage on missing children. However, even when their stories are told, the narratives often rely on victim-blaming and negative stereotypes.

Five students from EMU’s Black Student Union—Kyra Mitchell, Telor McClary, Kiera Osborn, Daryl Beatty and Alfred Sheffield—discussed this issue in their presentation, “The Case of Missing Black Girls,” on the morning of Jan. 20.

The presentation was one of many academic programs featured in EMU’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, which centered around the theme, “Rise Up Against Injustice.”

In the presentation, the speakers referred to the issue of unequal media representation as “missing white girl syndrome,” which describes how the media and the public disproportionately focus on missing white girls instead of missing people of color. 

Kyra Mitchell, one of the presenters, said, “We decided to discuss the missing black girls and women in America because it is an epidemic that needs to be addressed but too many people are silent about it. 

“There are over 64,000 missing black girls and women in America, yet you rarely hear about their cases. There are no AMBER Alerts, no pictures on milk cartons, just families struggling to find their missing black girls.”

The presenters also noted that when stories in the media discuss one of the many cases of missing black girls in the US, these media representations are “often limited [or] negative.” 

While the narratives of white girls are framed around themes of innocence and public concern, narratives of missing black girls frequently rely on negative stereotypes of black women that imply a sense of blame on the victim.

One of these negative stereotypes is the image of the Jezebel, which depicts black women as sexually promiscuous and seductive. This stereotype surrounded media representations of the case of Angela Mangum from Jacksonville, Fla., which tended to focus on her work as an exotic dancer as a possible explanation to her disappearance.

The presenters stated that these patterns in media representations promote negative stereotypes and reinforce the treatment of black women as disposable and easy targets. It also contributes to the racial and gender disparties in sex trafficking, in which 40 percent of sex trafficking victims are black children. 

“Due to the systemic inequalities within America, so many black women and girls get lost within the system and are forgotten, but by talking about them we can help raise awareness,” Mitchell said.

The presenters closed the presentation by sharing information on what people can do to protect themselves and others from kidnapping and human trafficking:

• Know your environment and look for signs of danger

• Support the Black and Missing Foundation

• Talk to your local government about how to make the community safer

• Call the human trafficking hotline at +1 (888) 373-7888 if you or someone you know may be a victim of human trafficking

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves nearly 18,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and, its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.