Injury Center Faculty Organize Congressional Briefing on Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls
More than 60,000 Black women and girls are missing in the US. Black women and girls are more than twice as likely to die from homicide than women in other racial groups. Across the US, services and policies to address partner violence do not fully address the unique needs and vulnerabilities faced by Black women and girls.
Drs. Kamila A. Alexander and Tiara C. Willie organized a congressional briefing with support provided by the Bloomberg American Health Initiative at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and The Institute for Policy Solutions at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in partnership with Research in Action and the Brittany Clardy Foundation.
On September 20th, 2023, an educational briefing and policy discussion was held to discuss policy solutions to the problem of missing and murdered Black women and girls in the US. Featured guests and panelists at the educational briefing included Rep. Ilhan Omar [D-MN] and Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman [D-NJ]. The two legislators introduced the Brittany Clardy Missing And Murdered Black Women And Girls Act, critical legislation to address the nationwide crisis of missing and murdered Black women and girls. The Act would establish a dedicated office within the Department of Justice focused on these cases and offer hope to the families and friends of the nearly 100,000 missing Black women and girls across the country. The Act is named for Brittany Clardy, a Minnesota woman who was beaten and killed in 2013. The late Ms. Clardy’s family is dedicated to ending violence to Black women and girls.
Dr. Alexander will begin working with two students from the SON Policy Honors Program to implement a policy plan that includes education about the Act for policymakers and other key decision-makers in the community. Dr. Willie will continue to partner with Lakeisha Lee, co-Founder of the Brittany Clardy Foundation and sister of the late Brittany Clardy, to discuss her Foundation and the Act.
Pictured (from left to right): Kamila A.Alexander (SON), Tiara C. Willie (BSPH), the Honorable Ilhan Omar [D-MN], Michelle Spencer (BSPH), Renee M. Johnson (BSPH)