‘Ebony Alert’ is a new statute that California Governor Gavin Newsom signed for missing Black children and women.
In an effort to help find missing Black children and young women between the ages of 12 and 25, California has passed a new law dubbed “Ebony Alert,” which is akin to Amber Alert. Gov. Gavin Newsom enacted Senate Bill 673 on Sunday, and it will take effect on January 1. When a Black youngster goes missing, the law will enable the California Highway Patrol to activate an alert utilizing electronic roadway signage to broadcast information. The law also pushes social media, cable, and radio stations to collaborate with the information.
In a statement regarding the measure, Senator Steven Bradford, the bill’s sponsor, said: “Today, California is taking bold and needed action to locate missing Black children and Black mothers in California. I want to express my gratitude to the governor for approving the Ebony Alert.
The number of Black children and young women on the missing persons lists is disproportionately high. This is a major disaster for our entire state and is terrible and distressing for many families. The Ebony Alert has the power to alter this, said Sen. Steven.
However, internet users are not very enthusiastic about the recently passed law. In response, a number of users on social media expressed their displeasure, with one commenting, “Guess they didn’t like Amber. So who is the eponymous renowned Ebony girl? Oh, so it’s just a comment on skin tone? That California has its priorities in line is good to know. Important matters.
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Why isn’t the Amber alert enough to find all children, another commenter wondered? I’m not sure I comprehend why something so significant required racial division. “Amber Alert isn’t a color thing, it’s a missing child thing,” a second enraged resident wrote. Color is irrelevant because the child is missing.
Statistics reveal that when individuals from Black and Brown communities, as well as our Indigenous brothers and sisters, are reported missing, the level of media coverage, AMBER alerts, and allocation of police resources is often notably limited that we see with our white counterparts,” said state senator Steven Bradford, a Democrat and the bill’s creator, to NBC News earlier this year.
According to the most recent data from the National Crime Information Center, almost 141,000 Black children under the age of 18 went missing in 2022, and Black women over 21 made up nearly 16,500 of the cases of missing individuals during that year.
According to the institute, more than 30,000 Black Americans would still be missing by the end of 2022. According to the Black and Missing Foundation, although 38% of those who disappeared in 2022 were Black, their stories are less likely than those of missing white people to be covered by the media. Additionally, Black people’s missing persons cases are open longer than those involving white people.
The bulk of the 6,000 instances of missing Black individuals on her database remain unsolved, according to Derrica Wilson, co-founder of the charity, who spoke with CNN.