Political leaders, activists and law enforcement officials participated in a forum at the Library of Congress to find solutions for locating missing Black women and girls across the country.
At Wednesday’s forum hosted by the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls, panelists shared statistics and also sought to dismiss stereotypes about missing Black girls, such as that they are runaways involved in illegal activities.
A total of 218,818 Black people were reported missing in 2016, according to FBI National Crime Information statistics. The Black and Missing Foundation statistics state that, in 2016, a total of 242,295 people of color were reported missing in the U.S. (out of 647,435 for all races). In 2014, the foundation reported that 64,000 Black women and girls were missing nationwide.
