I came across a blog post recently which expressed concern that less publicity was given to the disappearance of young black people. Janice Lowery has started a site to help give these missing children publicity.
One of the cases she highlights is that of Stepha Henry, 22, who was last seen partying at Peppers Cafe, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on May 29 this year. Stepha is a bright honours graduate who aspires to become a lawyer. Relatives watched her get into a car with a man that night, and that was the last time she was seen.
Her parents have moved from New York to Florida to help raise the profile of the case. Stepha’s family is distraught that the American media has given more coverage to Paris Hilton’s spell in prison than Stepha’s disappearance, as well as other cases involving white women.
This report in USA Today on 12 June highlights the lack of publicity about Stepha:
“Since yesterday, Google News has indexed just three stories that mention the 22-year-old black New Yorker who disappeared two weeks ago in Miami.
“During the same period, the site found 525 stories that mentioned Kelsey Smith, the white girl who was kidnapped and killed in Kansas, and 6,581 news stories that mentioned “Paris Hilton,” the celebrity who is famous for being famous. (Even Natalee Holloway, the Alabama girl who went missing in Aruba two years ago, earned more mentions than Henry.)”
In memory of those who are still missing.
Since becoming a where of Stepha’s disappearance I’ve tried my best to follow any new developments, which have not be many. My thoughts & prayers go out to the family, friends and loved ones.Keep your heads, hope and STEPHA’s name alive as I will do the same from Boston, MA your not in this alone!