JUL 13, 2023
When Black and brown people go missing, do they get the same kind of media coverage that white people do?
www.whio.com
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It’s been more than 20 years since Marilyn Renee Niqui McCown went missing. She was last seen at a Richmond, Indiana, laundromat in July 2001.
McCown’s sister, Michelle McCown-Luster, of Dayton, said, “I’ve been broken so many times in these 22 years. But what’s kept me to keep going outside of my kids and family, it’s been Niqui. I’m determined to find out where my sister is, who’s involved in her disappearance, and what happened,”
Now, her family is making sure that no one forgets her name. When Niqui disappeared, Michelle said local media coverage helped but national news outlets did not pick up on her story.
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Jasmine Ellis, CEO and Founder of the Dock Ellis Foundation said, “The media can work better in helping push a positive story. There’s, oftentimes, that you will see somebody reported missing and it’s you know, mother reports son missing, mother believes that son is missing, and then a day later, here comes their criminal record.”
Jasmine, along with Hjordis Ellis, are the co-founders of the Dock Ellis Foundation.
“Everyone deserves the same exact type of attention. If I’m going to give it to little Johnny over here that lives in Beverly Hills that comes up missing, then we need to give the same treatment to little Susie that lives over here in South Central LA when she comes up missing,” Hjordis Ellis said.
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Ohio ranks 11th in the country for missing persons, according to the Dock Ellis Foundation. If you have any information that would be helpful in locating Niqui McCown, please call the Richmond Police Department at (765) 983-7247 or the Dayton Police Department at 937-333 COPS.
ourblackgirls.com
