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Social media highlights missing people of color and it's working

Social media highlights missing people of color and it's working
Twitter

People on social media are bringing more attention to missing people of color

TikTok videos and viral tweets have become the new "face on the milk carton." Perhaps one good thing to come of the Gabby Petito murder case is that social media has put power back into the community, leading to more advocacy for missing persons of color.

The disappearance, and now killing, of Gabby Petito has been the subject of nationwide fascination, as well as scrutiny and debate. As more BIPOC missing persons were revealed who received little to no media coverage, including geologist Daniel Robinson, and the 700+ missing indigenous women of Wyoming, many began calling the huge disparity another example of gross racial injustice.

But maybe there's more here than just another case of "Missing White Woman Syndrome" than the headlines would have us believe. It's now becoming clear that—for better or worse—what really drew attention to Petito was a cocktail of two major factors. One, America's true crime obsession (the moral ambiguity of treating this real-life murder like an interactive Dateline episode is another conversation entirely). And two, Petito's pre-existing social media presence.



And though there is much to be said about what's wrong with this, there is also something positive about how online communities are now rallying together to use the same formula in order to raise awareness of previously ignored cases.

Take Layla Jama, TTDrama on Tiktok, and her audience of 757,000. They asked her to post about 25-year-old Black man Jelani Day, who had been missing in Illinois for more than a month. Layla listened to her followers' request and posted two emotionally charged videos with the hashtag #FindJelaniDayToday. In one of her videos, she challenges her followers to "go do your detective work and find him."




[tiktok_embed https://www.tiktok.com/@ttdramanews/video/7010472751605501190?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESPgo8rmLv%2F7m3zTr1iA0GCwGSVRHbY04WIQLBb%2BeAjlDlxo40keLfzYVZaLMBQfsea74LjRaoDFiWl%2BRiKqetGgA%3D&_r=1&checksum=9191537eb3171bebc8a1a0dacf3001c8b1503325c4eb2cb8914444b3cc943ca0&is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en&language=en&preview_pb=0&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAvc6CzjH_YrCGUc3F6L5o09cnBLAmw5vjgPDvE-jp0kdDy3Ctw9k3s7EQGElA_zhD&share_app_id=1233&share_item_id=7009007475525520646&share_link_id=9EFEC8B1-8E29-4DE1-BBA6-25C01D563C23&source=h5_m×tamp=1632321408&tt_from=copy&u_code=d5ll0bf51kb5l5&user_id=6682925702231426054&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=copy&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6945944233162294789 expand=1][tiktok_embed https://www.tiktok.com/@ttdramanews/video/7010170057170947334?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESPgo8rmLv%2F7m3zTr1iA0GCwGSVRHbY04WIQLBb%2BeAjlDlxo40keLfzYVZaLMBQfsea74LjRaoDFiWl%2BRiKqetGgA%3D&_r=1&checksum=9191537eb3171bebc8a1a0dacf3001c8b1503325c4eb2cb8914444b3cc943ca0&is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en&language=en&preview_pb=0&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAAvc6CzjH_YrCGUc3F6L5o09cnBLAmw5vjgPDvE-jp0kdDy3Ctw9k3s7EQGElA_zhD&share_app_id=1233&share_item_id=7009007475525520646&share_link_id=9EFEC8B1-8E29-4DE1-BBA6-25C01D563C23&source=h5_m×tamp=1632321408&tt_from=copy&u_code=d5ll0bf51kb5l5&user_id=6682925702231426054&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=copy&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6945944233162294789 expand=1]
@lizzo

#duet with @ttdramanews boosting to help her get her son back. #findjelaniday

Jama's posts resulted in more than a million views, 80,000 shares and a repost from Lizzo. Finally on September 23, a full 19 days after being discovered, Jelani's body was identified.

Another viral tweet went out for Lauren Cho, who disappeared from Yucca Valley, California on June 28. A Twitter user wrote, "I don't know much about her case, but let's get the same energy going to help locate #LaurenCho as we did for #GabbyPetito." That tweet now has 67.5K views.

And then there's the family of Daniel Robinson, who have taken the search for Daniel into their own hands with a series of TikTok videos documenting updates of their search. They received more interaction online than they had with the Buckeye, Arizona authorities.

@j.phillipe

Reply to @mel_hudson1 Gabby Betito’s case got the support and help that we now are praying for! #fyp #helpfinddanielrobinson #viral

Social media is taking on the roles of detective and journalist, covering more ground than both the FBI, which continues to take a nonchalant stance, and traditional media, which leans toward sensationalism over substance. When neither public service entity offers satisfactory public service, where can people turn to actually create change? The answer, it seems, is that they must turn to themselves.

The internet is a vast and often dark frontier, but it's a small comfort to know that many are using its power for good. It is certainly far from ideal in terms of missing men and women of color getting the media attention they deserve, but turning toward each other in this way might be the next step in changing that.

Identity

Celebrate International Women's Day with these stunning photos of female leaders changing the world

The portraits, taken by acclaimed photographer Nigel Barker, are part of CARE's "She Leads the World" campaign.

Images provided by CARE

Kadiatu (left), Zainab (right)

True

Women are breaking down barriers every day. They are transforming the world into a more equitable place with every scientific discovery, athletic feat, social justice reform, artistic endeavor, leadership role, and community outreach project.

And while these breakthroughs are happening all the time, International Women’s Day (Mar 8) is when we can all take time to acknowledge the collective progress, and celebrate how “She Leads the World.

This year, CARE, a leading global humanitarian organization dedicated to empowering women and girls, is celebrating International Women’s Day through the power of portraiture. CARE partnered with high-profile photographer Nigel Barker, best known for his work on “America’s Next Top Model,” to capture breathtaking images of seven remarkable women who have prevailed over countless obstacles to become leaders within their communities.

“Mabinty, Isatu, Adama, and Kadiatu represent so many women around the world overcoming incredible obstacles to lead their communities,” said Michelle Nunn, President and CEO of CARE USA.

Barker’s bold portraits, as part of CARE’s “She Leads The World” campaign, not only elevate each woman’s story, but also shine a spotlight on how CARE programs helped them get to where they are today.

About the women:

Mabinty

international womens day, care.org

Mabinty is a businesswoman and a member of a CARE savings circle along with a group of other women. She buys and sells groundnuts, rice, and fuel. She and her husband have created such a successful enterprise that Mabinty volunteers her time as a teacher in the local school. She was the first woman to teach there, prompting a second woman to do so. Her fellow teachers and students look up to Mabinty as the leader and educator she is.

Kadiatu

international womens day, care.org

Kadiatu supports herself through a small business selling food. She also volunteers at a health clinic in the neighboring village where she is a nursing student. She tests for malaria, works with infants, and joins her fellow staff in dancing and singing with the women who visit the clinic. She aspires to become a full-time nurse so she can treat and cure people. Today, she leads by example and with ambition.

Isatu

international womens day, care.org

When Isatu was three months pregnant, her husband left her, seeking his fortune in the gold mines. Now Isatu makes her own way, buying and selling food to support her four children. It is a struggle, but Isatu is determined to be a part of her community and a provider for her kids. A single mother of four is nothing if not a leader.

Zainab

international womens day, care.org

Zainab is the Nurse in Charge at the Maternal Child Health Outpost in her community. She is the only nurse in the surrounding area, and so she is responsible for the pre-natal health of the community’s mothers-to-be and for the safe delivery of their babies. In a country with one of the world’s worst maternal death rates, Zainab has not lost a single mother. The community rallies around Zainab and the work she does. She describes the women who visit the clinic as sisters. That feeling is clearly mutual.

Adama

international womens day, care.org

Adama is something few women are - a kehkeh driver. A kehkeh is a three-wheeled motorcycle taxi, known elsewhere as a tuktuk. Working in the Kissy neighborhood of Freetown, Adama is the primary breadwinner for her family, including her son. She keeps her riders safe in other ways, too, by selling condoms. With HIV threatening to increase its spread, this is a vital service to the community.

Ya Yaebo

international womens day, care.org

“Ya” is a term of respect for older, accomplished women. Ya Yaebo has earned that title as head of her local farmers group. But there is much more than that. She started as a Village Savings and Loan Association member and began putting money into her business. There is the groundnut farm, her team buys and sells rice, and own their own oil processing machine. They even supply seeds to the Ministry of Agriculture. She has used her success to the benefit of people in need in her community and is a vocal advocate for educating girls, not having gone beyond grade seven herself.

On Monday, March 4, CARE will host an exhibition of photography in New York City featuring these portraits, kicking off the multi-day “She Leads the World Campaign.

Learn more, view the portraits, and join CARE’s International Women's Day "She Leads the World" celebration at CARE.org/sheleads.


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Over or under? Surprisingly, there actually is a 'correct' way to hang a toilet paper roll.

Let's settle this silly-but-surprisingly-heated debate once and for all.

Elya/Wikimedia Commons

Should you hang the toilet paper roll over or under?



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Humans have debated things large and small over the millennia, from the democracy to breastfeeding in public to how often people ought to wash their sheets.

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