CHICAGO—Activists, organizers and community residents of all ages gathered recently to participate in the 8th annual “We March For Her” walk and gathering in Chicago. The goal of the march is to continue bringing attention to the importance of protecting Black women and girls.
Participants at this year’s event held on June 6, in the Bronzeville area, demanded that the city open an office dedicated to missing Black women and girls.
The march was initiated by the organization Girls Who Lead, which is a project led by young people and sponsored by the Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson participated in this year’s march.
According to a joint project by City Bureau and the Invisible Institute, “Chicago’s missing person crisis is a Black issue.”
“Black people have made up about two-thirds of all missing person cases in Chicago over the past two decades. In particular, Black girls and women between the ages of 10 and 20 make up about 30% of all missing person cases in the city, according to police data, despite comprising only 2% of the city population as of 2020,” noted the project’s website, chicagomissingpersons.com.
—The Final Call
