The Assembly of a Task Force On Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls First in Minnesota
For decades, if not centuries, missing and murdered Black women and girls were not a priority in Law Enforcement. That was until one brave, Black woman, Representative Ruth Richardson, of the Minnesota House of Representatives, fought for the state to implement a task force. The bill to create the task force was unanimously approved in February 2021. After her tireless hard work and dedication, Representative Richardson can now be proud that the task force became law on September 20, 2021; making Minnesota the first state to pass a law of its kind.
The Minnesota Session Laws 2021 declared, “$100,000 the first year and $50,000 the second year are to implement the task force on missing and murdered African American women.”
Representative Richardson is the Chair of the Education Policy Committee. She has carried many bills for her state to the point of becoming law. From expanded funding for the Homeless Youth Act and the establishment of shelter-linked youth mental health grants to reducing fetal alcohol spectrum disorders by supporting people that are pregnant and parenting with a history of addiction, Representative Richardson is on the move towards significant change.
Representative Richardson, now appointed to the task force, will play a vital role in the decrease in the number of missing and murdered Black women and girls in Minnesota. With determined and active leaders such as this bold leader who has used social media to gain the attention of thousands of people, many people and organizations are becoming more boisterous and willing to stand up.
“There are 64K+ Black women & girls missing in the U.S. BW & girls are overrepresented in missing person cases, receive less media attention, & their cases remain open 4X longer than others. We are overdue for a community response. Proud my bill became law & ready to get to work”, tweeted Representative Richardson.
Black women have the highest homicide rate in the U.S., often murdered by men. Black girls are not sought after when missing, with several websites dedicated to the search, only to be ignored. What Representative Ruth Richardson created and pushed with supreme effort was epic and an amazing step to break a vicious cycle in our community and country.
Visit https://www.ruthforhouse.com/ to learn more about Representative Ruth Richardson.
Article Written By: Sabrina Espere Carrington | @sabrinaespere
