U. community responds to announcement of Ebony Alert system in California

On October 8, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) approved Senate Bill 673, which will create an "Ebony Alert" system set to begin on January 1, 2024, according to NPR.

The Ebony Alert system provides alerts for missing Black youth between the ages of 12 years old and 25 years old due to the overrepresentation of Black children and young Black women among nationwide missing persons cases, according to the article.

Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Calif.), who wrote the bill, said that Black children make up 38 percent of victims in missing child cases, while 14 percent of the U.S. population is Black, according to a press release. Bradford also pointed out that 40 percent of sex trafficking victims in the U.S. are Black women.

"California is taking bold and needed action to locate missing Black children and Black women in California," Bradford said in the release.

Similar to an AMBER Alert, the Ebony Alert system will allow the Department of the California Highway Patrol to notify the public about suspected abductions and mysterious disappearances under certain circumstances, such as if the victim is physically or cognitively disabled, according to the bill.

Kennedi Avent, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore and president of the Rutgers chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), said missing Black women and children tend to receive less media coverage compared to their white counterparts.

"If someone's missing or (if it is) someone that we know, why isn't there being as much energy and effort put into finding them, as much as there would be if it was a white person?" Avent said.

Avent said that the Ebony Alert system gives a sense of urgency to an issue that she believes is overlooked. Avent added that having a system specifically for missing Black women rather than a generalized system, such as the AMBER Alert system, is helpful.

Sabrina Charles, a Rutgers School of Nursing senior and community service chair of Douglass D.I.V.A.S., said she thinks that a system focused on one sector of missing people will help expedite investigations.

"It's something that would be easier not only for the police to use — because as soon as they find out the race, they could input (it) into the Ebony Alert system — but also within their own respective communities,” Charles said.

Zyhri Williams, a School of Environmental and Biological Sciences sophomore and member chair of the Rutgers NAACP chapter, said that the Ebony Alert system is a good first step — especially for Black women, who are an underrepresented group — but more should be done.

He said that if he was receiving an alert about his mother or someone close to him, he would not feel like it was enough.

"I don't think it's strong because it doesn't enact that much material change in terms of finding these women," Williams said.

Charles also said that while the system could serve as an asset following an abduction, she acknowledges that its ability to prevent such incidents is limited.

Avent said that although finding Black and Brown people is seen as less of a priority in society, the system will help amplify the issue in society and within the Black community.

“Even though it is very important, it's also up to us, as a community, to make sure that we do our part, too, and we don't just dismiss the alerts. We help each other out,” Avent said.