Readout of Office of Justice Programs event focuses on epidemic of missing or murdered Black girls and women

Readout of Office of Justice Programs event focuses on epidemic of missing or murdered Black girls and women

On November 12, the Office of Justice Programs convened state and federal officials, advocates, survivors, families of victims, law enforcement, and journalists for a discussion on the crisis of missing or murdered Black women and girls. Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer and Brent J. Cohen, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs, spoke at the event.

Joining them as speakers were MSNBC host Symone Sanders-Townsend; Natalie Wilson, co-founder and CEO of the Black & Missing Foundation, Inc.; Channyn Lynne Parker, CEO of Brave Space Alliance; Shakyra Diaz, Chief of Shared Safety at the Alliance for Safety & Justice; California state senator Steven Bradford; and former Minnesota state representative Ruth Richardson, among others, including family members and survivors. Laura Coates, anchor and chief legal analyst at CNN; Melissa Murray, professor at the New York University School of Law; and MSNBC commentator and Emmy award-winning TV host Markette Sheppard served as moderators during the day's discussions.

According to a recent study published in the peer-reviewed general medical journal "The Lancet," Black women are six times more likely to be murdered than their white peers. Depending on the state, the ratio was as high as 20 to 1. Principal Deputy ASG Mizer noted that Black women are more than twice as likely as white women to be killed by intimate partners. Black women and girls also go missing at rates well above their proportion of the population.

Principal Deputy ASG Mizer highlighted several ways the Justice Department is taking action to step up efforts around this critical issue. This includes leveraging the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs, managed by the National Institute of Justice, as well as other resources from the Office of Justice Programs, including Ashanti Alert and Amber Alert. In addition, the Justice Department's Civil Rights and Criminal Divisions are applying their resources to bringing justice to Black women and girls, including through the prosecution of human trafficking and cold cases.

Acting AAG Cohen expressed his gratitude to the advocates and family members in attendance, including Tanesha Howard, whose daughter Joniah Walker is still missing. He also expressed optimism for progress moving forward.

"What we're seeing here is a groundswell of attention and action, led by dedicated, resourceful, and vocal champions, working on behalf of those whose voices have been silenced for far too long," Acting AAG Cohen said.

LEARN ABOUT DOJ'S WORK ON MURDERED OR MISSING BLACK WOMEN

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About the Office of Justice Programs

The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance, and other resources to improve the nation's capacity to prevent and reduce crime; advance equity and fairness in the administration of justice; assist victims; and uphold the rule of law. More information about OJP and its program offices - the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Institute of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office for Victims of Crime, and Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) Office - can be found at www.ojp.gov.

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CONTACT: OJP Media at [email protected]

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