Actually, there are a few people who’re missing her ~ her family, myself and the many bloggers who’ve complained about the lack of coverage that Jahessey’s receiving. But you wouldn’t know that if you were simply relying on the media to provide information. Five~year~old Jahesseye Shockley of Glendale, Arizona has been missing since 11 October when she was last seen at home by her three older siblings while her mother was out running errands.
Last week, I posted a little tirade on my Facebook page about the lack of coverage that Jahesseye Shockley is receiving by the media. I stated that I didn’t want to throw the race card on the table but it was getting difficult to ignore the fact that a dead white child and a missing white infant had received more coverage than this child had in the week that she’d been missing. I even sent a tweet to ABC News, Fox News and CNN to find out why they haven’t covered Jahessey at all. To date, I haven’t received a response. This isn’t the first time that I’ve taken issue with the coverage that missing people of color receive from the media (do you remember the case of Mitrice Richardson?), nor will it be the last.
I hate to say it but if Jahesseye were a blonde haired blue eyed child, Nancy Grace et al would be all over this story and we’d be getting hourly updates about the status of the search. Instead, we have a black child who, I guess, doesn’t meet the news media’s “cute standard” so she’s ignored.
As a mother and a woman of color, I’m disturbed that Jahesseye isn’t receiving the attention that she warrants. She’s someone’s child and she’s loved and missed; her life is worth something.
Lisa Brown of It Keeps Getting Better pointed out during our Facebook discussion that missing elderly and people with disabilities are also ignored by the media. A valid point that needs to be corrected by the media. And in order for that to happen, we all must take a stand and let the media know that everyone belongs to someone and every life is worth something and until every missing person is found, there’s someone out there with a broken heart.
