Carlee Russell is Safe, but What About Other Missing Black Women in Philly and Nationwide
Carlee Russell was the 1st Missing Black Woman to Make National News — Hopefully, She Won’t be the Last
Carlee Russell became a national news sensation as the Twitterverse united to #FindCarlee. Luckily, she’s home safe now and her case is under investigation, but there are several missing Black and brown women and children in Philadelphia and they don’t make local news — much less national news. Why?
Did you know the Philadelphia Police has a Missing Persons Page called the Blotter? I didn’t and when the news broke about Carlee nobody mentioned any of the missing women and children in Philly.
I’m not here to debate the validity of Carlee Russell’s story nor will I apologize for being happy she returned home, but far too many people have just vanished or aren’t found until it’s too late like Toyin Salau.
In August 2020, despite desperate calls for police to investigate and national coverage for the missing activist Toyin was found murdered — 9 days after she was reported missing. I wrote about her story and it broke my heart when she was found. Her story was so sad because the same man who murdered her, killed an elderly woman that same week and the…