Just Another Missing Woman?

Eric
July 27 2005, 12:32PM

PLEASE!! IT'S BECAUSE SHE IS BLACK , AND A BLACK LIFE IS NO WAY NEAR AS IMPORTANT IN THE GOVERMENT,PRESS SCOPE OF INVOLVMENT!!!, ITS JUST ANOTHER DEAD OR MISSING N@###R!

DB
July 27 2005, 12:35PM

All you said is sad, but so true. Jennifer's parents likely had a huge reward for her rescue, so the media had to get in on it. And we saw recently that Natalie's parents are offering $1M for her rescue. As in most everything in life, money talks! Maybe we should rally together and get some funds for her to offer a reward. They maybe CNN, NBC, ABC, and the other media giants will take notice. My prayers go out to her family and those who care for her.

Rhythm
July 27 2005, 1:02PM

essence magazine just did an article on this topic (it was the one with eva pigford on the cover...july, maybe???). this was before the figueroa case, but it discusses the fact that white women get so much press attention when they're missing and black women don't. the only case from the article that i was familiar with was the young woman from spartanburg, sc. i saw that covered on america's most wanted...once.

Kola Boof
July 27 2005, 1:42PM

I feel so enraged, that I can't even comment.

Patrick
July 27 2005, 1:57PM

Another example is the hoopla given over the missing woman in Aruba.

Andre
July 27 2005, 2:11PM

Sad but very true, an African American as a victim is not what White Americans want to hear about on the news. As we all know, we live in a society which values the actions of Paris Hilton but wont report a newsworthy story on an African American. I too do not think missing people should make the national news, unless they are famous or there is a valid reason to believe that all of America needs to know about it. The local news would probably do a much better job in reporting this and obtaining pertinent information. Reading todays post made me think back to my youth, when I met people "of color" who did not want to be identified as Black or African American or in my days of reading personal ads I would come across ads by obvious people of color who would list under the race category anything and everything but Black/African American. I think we often forget how far we have not come in America.

Andre
July 27 2005, 2:15PM

Sad but very true, an African American as a victim is not what White Americans want to hear about on the news. As we all know, we live in a society which values the actions of Paris Hilton but wont report a newsworthy story on an African American. This is not going to change unless we force all society to accept us and hit them hard where it hurts which is with $$$$. I too do not think missing people should make the national news, unless they are famous or there is a valid reason to believe that all of America needs to know about it. The local news would probably do a much better job in reporting this and obtaining pertinent information. Reading todays post made me think back to my youth, when I met people "of color" who did not want to be identified as Black or African American or in my days of reading personal ads I would come across ads by obvious people of color who would list under the race category anything and everything but Black/African American. I think we often forget how far we have not come in America.

Miguel
July 27 2005, 5:53PM

For the person who posted saying it had to do with the reward money, that's not usually the case. That money often times comes there way BECAUSE of the publicity the story gets. Even still, the main reason is, because she is not white. Everytime I see a story about a missing kid, abused kid, runaway children, kidnapped people, I think to myself how many people of color where in similar situation, but because they were not white, and/or because they lived in the projects, and/or because they came from a single parent home, or even maybe because they were overweight or otherwise not glamourous enough for TV, their story wasn't deemed newsworthy.

Mr. Blackness
July 27 2005, 6:33PM

Why does the plight of a poor African nation get 45 minutes in total coverage from major broadcast stations in the U.S. last year? Then a white actor (Brad Pitt) goes to visit and gets that much coverage (Primetime-Live with Diane Sawyer) on one broadcast channel in one hour?

Why is a four bedroom house worth 150,000 dollars in an all-black neighborhood, when the same identical four bedrooms home is worth 500,000 dollars in an all-white neighborhood?

Why are we concerned with the military heroism of Jessica Lynch, but not Shoshana Johnson?

Why does my white business partner scream "poor service" at a hotel and he gets an immediate response... and when I scream, I’m asked to wait?

Why am I “with a good credit rating” expected to pay more on a down-payment for a car at the dealership then my white “with so-so credit counterpart”... before I can drive it off the lot?

Why does that same white “just browsing” counterpart get immediate services at an antique shop... when I, “Mr. want to spend money” have to flag-down the customer service rep?

Why does the taxi stop for him and pass me by? Why? Because in this country there is equity whiteness.

Kola Boof
July 27 2005, 7:47PM

Hi Mr. Blackness,

I dedicated my short story collection "Long Train to the Redeeming Sin" to Shoshana Johnson.

But I get what you're saying. Isn't it pathetic?

Sometimes you feel as though we haven't went ANYWHERE.

Carla
July 27 2005, 9:41PM

We HAVEN'T went anywhere! Nowhere "THE MAN" has allowed us that is.

Guess Who??
July 27 2005, 11:39PM

Has anyone considered that in other cases parents,spouses, local authorities, church members, and other media forces perpetuate certain people to mainstream news for immediate attention? We could partly say that this is racially motivated not to publicize her missing case in mainstream media coverage, but that is subjective. Basically, who ever cries wolf, will be noticed and served.

Rob G.
July 28 2005, 8:22AM

And yes,for sure there will be a movie about that lying Jennifer Wilbanks. There will probably be one about Natalee Holloway too.
These are 2 more example's of how America continues to throw it in our faces, the fact that their precious white women are invaluable. If they so much as break a nail the whole country is supposed to join in the search effort, or even care.

Meanwhile if a black woman, child, or man turns up missing, or dead they will not get the nationwide coverage, or interest from American media outlets, unless one happens to be a celebrity or notable personality.

I know it sounds far fetched but, I hope that one day we people of color will be the ones to control the reigns of power in this country. These white mo' fo 's would get exactly what they deserve....PAYBACK!

Charles Richardson
July 28 2005, 10:56AM

CNN did a commentary about Latoyia Figureroa being missing from Philly....maybe they read your article...it was almost word for word from your article...first two paragraphs....keep up the good works...I try to read your blogs everyday.....

Charles

Regan DuCasse
July 28 2005, 1:02PM

Sad but true, although this young mother is as beautiful and vital as Laci Peterson, she's not a sexy enough story until someone screams and shouts to bring her disappearance to the attention of the media.
Aruba is an exotic locale, and many of it's residents are black.
Indeed, the first arrestees in the disappearance of Nat Holloway were black.
And released soon for lack of evidence.

Ms. Figueroa is a resident of Philly. She's likely a victim of a black perpetrator.
In many ways, black complaints and actions are schizophrenic.
If a criminal is injured or killed in the commission of a crime by a policeman, there is a hue and cry of brutality and lawsuits follow.

When a police officer (the last three who died in Los Angeles were of color) is killed in the line of duty, there is silence.
Sometimes days later another innocent victim is shot and killed by urban terrorists and there is little criticism of the gangsta culture that causes the near daily killings in our streets.

I agree that the way Jennifer Wilbanks was able to benefit greatly and be enriched by her crimes was wrong, wrong, wrong.
But in a similar fashion, car jackers and illegal alien felons are able to reap a payday if they are injured while the police try to apprehend them.

I grieve wih Ms. Figueroa's family. No doubt she is dead, and may never be found any time soon.
But the do have the power to rally the press and resources like the Carolyn Sund Victim's Fund and other advocacies for the missing.
I wish them well and offer my prayers.

Philly_phile
July 28 2005, 2:20PM

There is a story about her on the homepage of foxnews.com

alicia banks
July 28 2005, 4:17PM

great column keith
racism is real
and especially within media practices

keep up the great work!

peace
ab

Big Kev
July 28 2005, 8:19PM

What about Walter Moore?

He is a black man who is also from Alabama and is missing.

So much attention is being given to Natalie "Lolita" Holloway.

------------------------------------------------

Reward Offered In Search
Associated Press
Jul 18, 14:20 PM EDT

Governor Bob Riley is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the disappearance of Hayes High School Assistant Principal Walter Moore. The Ensley native has been missing since May 22nd.

Moore, who is 48, vanished right before the schools last week of classes. His 2000 Nissan Maxima was found abandoned on Avenue E in Ensley on May 25th and police have looked for clues in his home.

Moore was last heard from on the evening of May 22nd when he spoke to his mother by telephone from his home.

Rockinrob
July 29 2005, 10:31AM

I saw a brief, and I do mean brief, segment of her on the news last night (FOX 26 - Houston). We're talking maybe a :15 spot! Nowhere near the amount of coverage given to Natalie Holloway (Aruba) or Elizabeth Smart (Colorado). Anyway, someone's offering a $10K reward for information (I believe it's her family) regarding her disappearance.

Honestly, were it not for this post, I wouldn't have realized just how serious of a problem this is along with the fact that our local news didn't present the story with the same "passion" that I've seen them do for cases mentioned above.

And because we don't control (own) the media outlets, we're screwed!

My true question is....What can we do about it? I'd be willing to try something if someone wants to share a plausible idea.

PEACE

Concerned
July 29 2005, 12:10PM

I have been watching Nancy Grace on CNN all week, and she has discussed Latoyia right along with Natalie. I'm really not sure if this has to do with race as much as it has to do with money. Some people just don't have the money to create such awareness of their family's missing person. I'm not sure if anyone else gets them, but I get weekly pictures in my mailbox of two random faces, people who have been missing for months, sometimes years. The media just can't devote time to every person who comes up missing. Hell, my uncle has intentionally come up missing a few times. No one from my family has heard from him in a year. WE just know that if anything happens, his DNA info will be linked to our family. And, since you have said this is some white thing, then why haven't I seen Latoyia on the BET News? I sure haven't seen Natalie on my LOCAL news recently. Anyway, I HAVE been seeing her this week on CNN.

Randy
July 29 2005, 5:03PM

Yes. It is obvious that NOW the media is covering this story, but STILL not with the same intensity as Natalee Holloway! I mean, we are getting non-stop coverage about a pool being drained, yet LaToyia was missing since July 18th? How many days did it take for Natalee Holloway to get nationwide attention? How many days did it take for Laci Peterson to get nationwide attention? Where's Chandra? etc... No...media coverage must become more balanced...Thanks for your website.

Charles
July 29 2005, 6:52PM

How can we (the black community) expect the white media to "care" about our black women in particular this woman going missing when just about every image that is endorsed, reinforced, supported and portrayed by the greater black community is one of a loud mouth, single mother doing whatever to get hers, big booty, etc...if you want the greater community to care since they control the media, then we need to tone down the negative crap towards our gay men, women etc in the black community...because I do not see the black community getting fed up with almost naked big butt women in videos and black men willing to do anything for a rap or ball career and other stereotypical images in the vast media from videos to major motion pictures...

“Everyone is just throwin' their hands up in the air and wavin' like they just don't care”...so why should the "white" media and companies when we are spending our money and not complaining…

randy
July 29 2005, 7:38PM

Charles makes some very valid points. However, the job of the media is to REPORT THE NEWS. I don't see what right they have to look at the black community and conclude that we don't care because of the negative images. But I do agree that the black community needs to be more outraged about the negative stereotypes regarding black men and women. I'm tired of it. (Thank you Bill Cosby for speaking up) Of course, this is not just a black-white issue. I don't see Asian or Hispanic equavalents to Natalee Holloway being paraded on TV for months at a time either. So either (A) they don't exist, or (B) they are being overlooked as well. I say it's B. I say this is REAL discrimination! Not that we need them, but where is Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson? Are they afraid that this will hurt them with the mainstream media?

Charles
July 29 2005, 7:50PM

Randy, you are CORRECT it is the job of the media to report the news...sadfully news shows are given rating points so this has caused some groups to be ignored by the media...

btw: Have these black missing people been highlighted on BET? Why is this not a running segment on that channel... BET is a major source of information for many blacks young and old. I am just wondering if they have done a piece...if not then who is holding BET responsible...

Rob G.
July 30 2005, 9:59AM

Latoyia Figueroa is now beginning to recieve coverage albeit to a less passionate degree than the other women.

In mid february of this year 19 year old Rashawn Brazell's life was brutally cut short after he disappeared from his home in Bushwick,Brooklyn New York. He was on his way to meet a friend he met online. Next thing you know Rashawn's DISMEMBERED body parts were found strewn throughout the New York City subway system.

At the time of this atrocious act, I was living in NYC, and THERE WAS LOCAL media coverage, now I live in South Florida and have not heard of any updates from the media regarding this case.

Did they find out who commited this crime against this young brother? Was there any kind of extensive investigation? If so, was there anyone arrested? Was there a conviction?
Did the NYC police department choose not to further investigate because Rashawn was a black gay man? Does anyone know the outcome? Do enough people nationwide even know about this horrific crime?

When it comes to crimes committed against black gay men, if one is not caucasian like Matthew Sheppard, there seems to be no rush to follow up, or resolve the case. We need to continue to voice our outrage!

Rob G.
July 30 2005, 10:00AM

Latoyia Figueroa is now beginning to recieve coverage albeit to a less passionate degree than the other women.

In mid february of this year 19 year old Rashawn Brazell's life was brutally cut short after he disappeared from his home in Bushwick,Brooklyn New York. He was on his way to meet a friend he met online. Next thing you know Rashawn's DISMEMBERED body parts were found strewn throughout the New York City subway system.

At the time of this atrocious act, I was living in NYC, and THERE WAS LOCAL media coverage, now I live in South Florida and have not heard of any updates from the media regarding this case.

Did they find out who commited this crime against this young brother? Was there any kind of extensive investigation? If so, was there anyone arrested? Was there a conviction?
Did the NYC police department choose not to further investigate because Rashawn was a black gay man? Does anyone know the outcome? Do enough people nationwide even know about this horrific crime?

When it comes to crimes committed against black gay men, if one is not caucasian like Matthew Sheppard, there seems to be no rush to follow up, or resolve the case. We need to continue to voice our outrage!

jay
July 31 2005, 12:49AM

I knew someone just had to see these correlations besides me.Too freaking bad that Black main stream media didn't do it first. Oh, I forgot, they are just like the "clean up" woman. They report and rehash news from the white mainstream media. Know I know you are not surprised!!

Jessica
August 3 2005, 2:19AM

I believe Natalee Holloway's case is all over the news for many reasons. The first is that she is missing in a location that Americans would consider paradise. If Natalee had come up missing in Alabama, we probably would have never known. I also believe that Beth's determination has a lot to do with how this case became national. This family knew how to get to the right people and the attention stayed their because of them. I have seen just as much coverage on Natalee as I have Latoyia. I have also seen a little bit of coverage of the gentlemen missing in Alabama, the teen boy that was missing from NY's Yankee Stadium, and even less coverage of George Smith (the man missing from the cruise ship). Each girl alone has more coverage than these three males put together. Are they not just as important? Where is their website and media coverage?

Big K
August 3 2005, 10:46AM

Jessica,

I disagree.

There has not been as much coverage about Latoyia.

Greta Van Susteren has an entire show devoted to Natalie "Lolita" Holloway every night.

Sean Hannity covers about 30 minutes of his hour-long TV show to Lolita.

If Beth's (Lolita's mother) name was Juanita, she would not be all over the TV.
The media would pay her no mind.

Annie
August 5 2005, 8:36PM

must EVERYTHING be because... I thik we all see what is going one here.

Michael Kocet
August 6 2005, 5:51PM

Thank you Keith for speaking up about this tragic case. I am a white, gay male. I recognize the racist attitudes of many television stations for not covering this missing woman's case. Latoyia Figueroa deserves her story told on the tv, radio, and the internet. I sent an email to the Larry King Live show stating my concern that his show has devoted daily programming to the Natalee Holloway case. While its also a sad situation, let's have some more balance and not ignore other families who are in pain and missing their loved ones. I teach college courses in Multicultural issues and as a white man, I recognize the white privilege I have, but with it also comes responsibility. I will make sure to tell my students that this case of a missing woman of color is a living example of how race does impact all of us.

Ashton Marks
August 9 2005, 11:47PM

750,000 kids go missing a year. Holloway's advantage is that her case is more like a mystery - it has clues that frequently change.

That doesn't make it OK to mix news and entertinment.

Www.fixthemedia.org strives to proactively involve the community in solving this issue. Google "Holloway" and you'll see some rants against the media. These are good signs.

-Ashton Marks
FTM

Shay
August 15 2005, 6:14PM

Thanks you brother for expressing how real and powerful RACISM is it still lives and we are not in the 1950's we are in the 2000's this is just a SPIT in Blacks folks face we are not worth anything in the eyes of AMERICA.

I am from Birmingham, Alabama and there have been 2 other people that have been missing along with Natalee Holloway.

1)Walter Moore- A High School Assistant Principle of Hayes High School
2)Nancy Lewis- A Cook at Childrens Hospital

The difference between the two which obviously makes there life worthless is they are NOT WHITE.
All of these people are missing person's in Alabama and the coverage has not been as EXTREME as Natalee's.

Shay
August 15 2005, 6:15PM

Thanks you brother for expressing how real and powerful RACISM is it still lives and we are not in the 1950's we are in the 2000's this is just a SPIT in Blacks folks face we are not worth anything in the eyes of AMERICA.

I am from Birmingham, Alabama and there have been 2 other people that have been missing along with Natalee Holloway.

1)Walter Moore- A High School Assistant Principle of Hayes High School
2)Nancy Lewis- A Cook at Childrens Hospital

The difference between the two which obviously makes there life worthless is they are NOT WHITE.
All of these people are missing person's in Alabama and the coverage has not been as EXTREME as Natalee's.