Missing Black People 5 Pillar Program


This is the first blog post for Missing Black People. I think it’s important to share the reasoning behind decisions that are made, where applicable. By doing this, the community can gain a better understanding of not only how they can support, but why they should support. This post will specifically be about what I’m calling the ‘5 Pillars of Missing Black People’. This will outline the principle goals of the initiative. These are working philosophies and will be subject to change as support increases and feedback is received. The inspiration for the principles stem from the ideas of Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale, W.E.B Du Bois, Marcus Garvey and more intellectuals that have sought to organise Black communities for collective action. It’s important to note that the 5 Pillars of Missing Black People is focused specifically on the scope of missing Black people and this initiative will only use the previous community organisers as a model. This means that their ideas, like all ideas, are not immune to thorough criticism.



Policy Advocacy


  • We seek to understand the mechanics of policy change and how to use them to advocate for the safety of missing Black people on a policy level.
  • We encourage community members to intelligently engage in policy reform and to step into leadership positions, championing policy changes for the safety of missing Black people.


Education


  • We engage with educational institutions to ensure that our institutions provide a clear and focused plan to improve the safety for missing Black people.
  • We provide professional and reliable information to our community to ensure parents and families understand the social climate and how to ensure the safety of their families and communities.
  • We encourage difficult conversations from people with varying perspectives that seek to transform ideas into actionable solutions.


Community Safety


  • We also organise on a local, regional, and national level to protect our communities, using both smart and sustainable methodologies.


Community Support


  • We support the families and communities of missing Black people by amplifying their stories and sharing their cases.
  • We signpost and help remove the obstacles for families and communities of missing Black people to receive professional support to ensure that their mental health and well-being are prioritised.
  • We understand the complexity of missing Black people cases and support sensitive and nuanced discussions that uphold respect and dignity to the families and communities of missing Black people.


Community Development


  • We create both physical and virtual spaces that allow families and community members to discuss sensitive issues productively.
  • We conduct workshops to empower the community to develop localised solutions.


Research


  • We advocate for consistent and reliable data collection methods so that change and discussion can also be data-driven.
  • We conduct and support objective research that investigates the causes surrounding missing Black people.


The pillars don’t exist in isolation. Each pillar interacts with another in interesting ways, manifesting in a range of ways in the real world. As mentioned initially, these are working ideas meaning that they are subject to refinement. Missing Black People hopes that by using this framework, we can be a spark for good to help find and prevent further missing Black people.


Written by Dominic Norton

Last Modified: 23/05/2021