California Bill Seeks To Create Race-Based Missing Person Alert Just For Black Women, Children

Proposed legislation in California is seeking to create a race-based missing person alert system just for missing black women and black children.

This system, dubbed “Ebony Alert,” would notify Californians only when black women and children are missing.

California already has an “Amber Alert” for when children are missing, a “Silver Alert” when elderly individuals are missing, and a “Feather Alert” for when indigenous Californians are missing.

In a press release announcing his introduction of the bill, California State Senator Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) said SB 673 was designed “to address the often ignored or lack of attention given to Black children and young Black women that are missing in California.”

The bill calls on “news organizations including television, cable, online, radio and social media outlets to cooperate with disseminating the information contained in an Ebony Alert.”

“Black children are disproportionately classified as ‘runaways’ in comparison to their white counterparts who are classified as ‘missing’ and, therefore, many Black children do not receive the Amber Alert,” State Sen. Bradford said, citing data from the Black and Missing Foundation.

In October 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law that created the “Feather Alert,” which is sent out when a Native American goes missing.

Newsom said the Feather Alert system “will provide us with additional critical tools needed to address the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. I thank all the legislators and tribal partners whose leadership and advocacy help light the path forward in our work to build a better, stronger and more just state together.”

Stay tuned for any update on the “Ebony Alert” proposed legislation.