Demonstrators dedicated Wednesday’s annual “We Walk for Her” march in Bronzeville to call for a city or statewide office focused solely on investigating missing and murdered Black girls and women.
Black women and girls account for around 30% of Cook County’s missing persons despite making up about 12% of the county’s population, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office and census estimates.
“When I see one of these missing persons flyers on these poles, I don’t just see a photo,” said Crystal Young, a youth intern with Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization. “I see a girl who looked like me, someone who had big dreams and someone whose family is now in a nightmare. I’m tired of us being treated like we’re invisible.”
“We’re here to say we are not just data points or percentages on a report,” Young added. “We are daughters, sisters and friends. We are human beings who deserve to grow up, be safe, and be protected. We deserve to walk through our own neighborhoods without wondering if we’ll make it home.”
Raising awareness for missing and murdered Black women and girls is crucial because their cases are treated by police and media with less importance than those of white persons, organizers said. And Black residents have historically gone missing at disproportionate rates.
“When we call 911, the police [say], ‘Were they angry? What did they have on? Were they arguing with their partner? Did you fight with them?’ We’re not given that same attention,” said Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th). “We know when our white counterparts go missing, y’all bring out the dogs, the cats, y’all have people with sticks, y’all bring out the forest preserves. Everybody comes out when those girls go missing.”
Advocates also said a dedicated office is needed because there’s often a disconnect between families and the police department, which may rotate several officers on one missing person case and provide few updates over time.
The Minnesota Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls Office can be a model for what Chicago or Illinois could create, said Timara Wade, an organizer with Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization.
“We need this office to help us bridge the gap between law enforcement and the people most impacted,” Wade said. “Relatives will be able to get information needed if we are able to get this office here in Chicago.”
The Minnesota office, formed in 2023, serves as a liaison between families and law enforcement to advocate for timely investigations. It also connects families to mental health assistance and other services.
The ninth annual march was led by several organizations, including the Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization, GoodKids MadCity Englewood and Mothers Opposed to Violence Everywhere.
The crowd marched on South Cottage Grove Avenue from 35th Street to 51st Street, their chants including “Stop and listen, our queens are missing.” They wore bright pink t-shirts depicting a Black girl’s face on the front and her silhouette with the word, “Missing,” on the back. Some people held signs; one read “Save our girls”
Louvenia Hood, executive director of Mothers Opposed to Violence Everywhere, said she’s not tired of walking in the annual march, but she is “sick and tired of not getting results” in missing person cases. She implored the many young people at Wednesday’s march to be more open to talking with law enforcement about missing persons.
“Young people, walk for her,” Hood said. “You all might know the answer. That’s right, you be outside, you know where the hangouts are. Talk, talk, talk. Say what you know. Say what you feel. We need to hear from you all.”
