New York State Strives to Help Missing Black and BIPOC Women and Girls with New Task Force

By Fern Gillespie
Thousands of Black and BIPOC families face fear and frustration each year, wondering and worrying about missing or murdered women and girls in their lives. Statistics from the FBI’s National Crime Information Center show that of the more than 271,000 missing women and girls reported in 2022, 43 percent were Black, Indigenous, or people of color. Through lobbying from the New York Senate and Assembly, Governor Kathy Hochul has signed legislation S.4266-A/A.5088-A, which will establish a New York State task force on missing women and girls who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
“The statistics are alarming: thousands of women and girls who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color go missing every year,” announced Governor Hochul. “We have a moral obligation to treat these cases with the care and seriousness they deserve, and this new Task Force will be a critical part of that effort.”

The New York State Missing BIPOC Women and Girls Task Force was initiated by three Black women: State Senator Lea Webb, Assemblywoman Karines Reyes, and advocate Dawn Rowe, President and CEO of Girl Vow. The task force will work to assess the epidemic of missing women and girls, address discrepancies in the care with which these cases are treated, and develop policies to increase community education. The Task Force will have nine members, including representatives of the Office of Family and Children’s Services, the Division of Criminal Justice Services, the New York State Police, and members appointed by the Senate and Assembly. Hearings will be required, and the Task Force must submit a report of its findings and recommendations within two years.
Advocates for missing Black women, children, and BIPOC are pressuring state governments to initiate actions. California has created the “Ebony Alert” system for missing Black children and young women. Launching on January 1, 2024, it is similar to Amber or Silver alerts. The Ebony Alert will inform people of missing Black children and young women between the ages of 12 to 25 through electronic highway signs, television, radio, and social media. In 2023, Minnesota became the first state in the country to establish an Office for Missing and Murdered African American Women and Girls, which allocates resources toward finding missing Black women and combating issues like domestic violence and human trafficking. It was developed through a 2021 task force.
The federal Brittany Clardy Missing And Murdered Black Women And Girls Act was introduced in September 2023 by Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls. The Brittany Clardy Missing And Murdered Black Women And Girls Act is legislation to address the nationwide crisis of missing and murdered Black women and girls. It would establish an Office for Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls within the Department of Justice. This office would conduct research and collect data related to missing and murdered black women and girls, develop policy and best practices recommendations, and create a centralized repository for tracking of relevant cases. The office would also provide grants to local organizations providing culturally appropriate services to victims and impacted families. Over 40 Democrats on The Hill support this measure.

“Despite Black women and girls representing a disproportionate number of missing women, their cases often garner far less attention. These missing women are mothers and daughters, sisters and friends. Each of them deserves the attention we would give to any missing person,” Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman told Our Time Press. “The creation of a dedicated task force focused on these cases can offer hope to the families and friends of those who have gone missing and put us on a path that will bring this crisis to an end.”
In addition to Girl Vow, Dawn Rowe is the founder of the National Task Force for Missing and Murdered Girls and Women of Color. She’s made it her mission to help BIPOC families with their search.
“We are just getting to the point where we are feeling the layers of what’s happening with missing minority girls of color. There’s so much that has to be done,” Rowe told Our Time Press. “I believe that every state should have a task force on this specific issue. No matter what state you go to, someone has a very similar story. We’re starting to see that. We are working to pull people together so that we can work collectively.”