(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Is California's Ebony Alert necessary? [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-28 With the recent signing of SB 673 by California Governor Gavin Newsom, the Ebony Alert system is set to launch January 1st, aiming to address the disparity in searching for missing Black individuals. This new alert system, akin to the Amber Alert, seeks to provide immediate attention and resources to find missing Black children and women. “The Ebony Alert will ensure that vital resources and attention are given so we can bring home missing Black children and women in the same way we search for any missing child and missing person,” State Sen. Steven Bradford, a Democrat who sponsored the legislation said in a statement. — CNN New California law creates Ebony Alert to find missing Black youth and women The Ebony Alert would inform people of missing Black children and young women between the ages of 12 to 25. The U.S. has a national Amber Alert system that gets triggered, in theory, when there is a hunt for a missing child. Any missing child, regardless of race or background. However in practice, it has been statistically shown that the alert is often not enacted Black youth go missing. Although African Americans make up 14 percent of the country's population, they make up about 39 percent of missing persons every year. Black children, when missing, often receive less attention and resources compared to white children, with the Amber Alert system being activated more for white children. Black youth are under reported or disproportionately classified as "runaways" which doesn’t trigger an Amber Alert. This makes them prime targets for traffickers, especially as they often fall into vulnerable categories. Racial misconceptions further hinder the identification of minority youth as trafficking victims. Aside from the Amber Alert for children, the Ebony Alert joins similar specialized laws that target certain segments of the population like Silver Alert for seniors, Feather Alert for indigenous men and women, and the Blue Alert for missing police officers. While State Sen. Steven Bradford’s aim is to address this uneven application of attention and resources, as you can imagine, he has received negative responses online over a specific alert for African American children and women. On numerous prominent African American social media channels, users questioned why a new law was created specifically for black children instead of simply ensuring that the Amber Alert is applied fairly and addressing the biases leading to misreporting. Some also expressed concerns that this could further sideline the search for missing African American youth by placing them in a separate category. At the same time, reforming the system can take time that vulnerable children and women falling through the cracks might not have. So what’s your opinion? Do you believe there should be a separate missing persons alert specifically for black youth as was done in California? Additional: New York ballot questions with Khairul Kukon of American Bangladeshi Community Development New California law creates Ebony Alert to find missing Black youth and women California creates nation's first 'Ebony Alert' to find missing Black children Missing Persons Statistics 2022 In a first, California's 'Ebony Alert' will help find missing Black people Nuance with Mike Scala and Jay Carter is a weekly video podcast that engages its audience through examination of current events from the unique perspectives of its hosts and guests. → SUBSCRIBE TO Nuance with Mike Scala and Jay Carter ← Subscribe: Nuance with Mike Scala and Jay Carter The podcast is available on Spotify and all major podcast outlets. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/28/2202171/-Is-California-s-Ebony-Alert-necessary?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/