‘Black Girls Rock’ honorees find missing black children who are often ignored

Imagine sending your child to school like any other day but they never come home. Then you get the phone call. “Your child is missing.”

Those four words are a parent’s worst nightmare.

For Derrica and Natalie Wilson of Washington, D.C., hearing stories of missing African American children that didn’t get the same help and resources as other children inspired them to step up and create BAM FI; a foundation they say has helped find more than 200 missing people with the assistance of law enforcement, media, and the vigilance of communities.

In recognition of their efforts, the Wilson sisters-in-law received the Community Change Agent award at this year’s Black Girls Rock ceremony.

“We were grateful. Beverly Bond has been a supporter of BAMI for a very long time,” said Natalie Wilson. When the story broke about the D.C. missing girls this spring she was one of the first persons to call us and say how can I help. We are grateful for not only this award, but for Beverly wanting to help. She understands this issue and wants to use her platform to bring awareness to our missing girls and boys as well. We applaud her from reaching out to us and for helping us.”

Each year, roughly 2,000 children under the age of 18 are reported missing daily, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Of those 2,000 reported missing, many are Black.

In fact, statistics show that 35% of the total number of missing children are Black and 20% are Latino. Far too often missing children of color don’t receive an Amber Alert or news coverage that could help return them home safely.

Back in 2004, Tamika Huston, a 24-year-old African-American woman, disappeared from her apartment in Spartanburg, S.C., Her family put up flyers and called media outlets hoping to get coverage, but national media skipped the story. Eventually Huston’s body was found, and her ex-boyfriend was charged with murder.

Derrica is from Spartanburg as well. She was compelled to start the organization after discovering a few months after Huston was found Natalee Holloway, a Caucasian teen, went missing and the case received national headlines. So in 2008 she teamed up with sister-in-law, Natalie to start the Black and Missing Foundation Inc. (BAM FI) to provide an overlooked need in the Black community.

“It is necessary because each year hundreds of thousands of person’s of color go missing. It is an issue I don’t think our community is aware of,” Natalie Wilson told theGrio in an exclusive interview. “We have a large number of mothers, fathers, children, grandparents …

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