Ending the Epidemic of Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls: Panel on Nation Leading Effort in Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN, September 18, 2023 — In 2022, 40% of all missing women and girls who disappeared in the United States were Black — and murder was the second leading cause of death. In Minnesota, researchers, community members and policymakers have come together in groundbreaking ways to stop this epidemic of violence.
On September 20, key leaders from this effort will join Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Representative Bonnie Watson-Coleman (Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls, D-NJ) to introduce federal legislation and bring together civil rights leaders, social justice advocates, and academics to examine this pressing issue, followed by a panel discussion co-hosted by the Bloomberg American Health Initiative and Johns Hopkins University. This event will take place at the Grand Hyatt Washington D.C. in the Penn Quarter Room from 6- 8 p.m.
“In 2021, the state of Minnesota became the first in the nation to create a Missing & Murdered African American Women’s Task Force, “ said Dr. Brittany Lewis, Founder and CEO of Research in Action. “As a leader of this effort, Research in Action used our community-centered Equity in Action process model to work with women who have been directly impacted by this violence in the final legislative report to identify concrete and actionable solutions.” The legislation will establish an Office for Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls within the Department of Justice. This office will take the lead in addressing disparities in violence conducting research and collecting data related to missing and murdered Black women and girls, aiming to address the inadequate public attention their cases receive.
“My sister, Brittany Clardy, was a tireless youth worker, a community caretaker and a beloved family member when she was sexually exploited and murdered in St. Paul in 2013,” said Lakeisha Lee, co-chair of the Task Force and founder of the Brittany Clardy Foundation. “That same month, a white woman with a similar story made national headlines as a tragic victim, while my sister’s reputation was destroyed and her story buried. The task force process was an unprecedented step to clearly articulate the epidemic of racialized violence and elevate specific steps we can take so that families don’t have to endure the unspeakable loss and injustice that my family did.” At this event, Dr. Lewis and Lakeisha Lee will share more about the task force process, report, and engage with key federal policymakers on how these approaches and findings can be applied across the country.
