More than two weeks ago, a 26-year-old African American woman named Terrilyn Monette went missing in Louisiana without a trace after celebrating her nomination as Teacher of the Year in her district. However, she’s not the only African American female who’s missing. In fact, in 2010, 692,944 people were reported missing; 40% were minorities and 64,000 of that population were female.

But how many cases of missing people of color did we hear about?

People, please be aware of what’s going on in your community, whether local, national, or global. It makes no sense that the media is silent about missing minorities, yet so loud and open about those that are not of color. People like me are wondering why missing minorities are not displayed in the media; is it because of the lack of minorities in newsrooms and law enforcement, or the socioeconomic status of those that are missing?

You can place the blame anywhere you choose, but does this help missing minorities return to their loved ones? Absolutely NOT!

In the meantime, be informed and actually help these families. The Black And Missing Foundation, NewsOne, and TV One have come together to bring attention to African Americans who are missing. The partnership has produced a series called “Find Our Missing,” which airs on Wednesday nights on TVOne at 9 PM Eastern Standard Time. It is hosted by an African American actress named S. Epatha Merkerson, whom viewers will recognize from Law & Order. TVOne producers are confident that the “docu-drama” will not only focus on the issue of missing Black women, but bring new information to light for the loved ones of the victims who have disappeared.

Again I ask you: how many minority females that are missing are acknowledged in the media and what are you doing about it? How would you feel if no one had the desire to find you and return you to your family?