In Bronzeville on the ninth annual “We Walk for Her” march, youth and community leaders pressed Chicago and Illinois leaders to create a dedicated office to investigate missing and murdered Black girls and women, citing disparities in attention, police follow-
For the ninth year in a row, the route through Bronzeville has carried a message meant to be impossible to ignore: the city needs to treat missing Black girls and women as a priority worthy of a specialized response.
On Wednesday. demonstrators dedicated the annual “We Walk for Her” march to push for a city or statewide office focused solely on investigating missing and murdered Black girls and women. The crowd gathered with bright pink shirts—some printed with a Black girl’s face on the front and a silhouette marked “Missing” on the back—and chanted “Stop and listen. our queens are missing” as they moved on South Cottage Grove Avenue from 35th Street to 51st Street.
Crystal Young. a youth intern with Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization. spoke about the personal meaning behind the flyers that community members pass every day. “When I see one of these missing persons flyers on these poles. I don’t just see a photo. ” Young said. “I see a girl who looked like me. someone who had big dreams and someone whose family is now in a nightmare. I’m tired of us being treated like we’re invisible.”.
Young also said she wants people to remember the humanity at the center of every case. “We’re here to say we are not just data points or percentages on a report,” she added. “We are daughters, sisters and friends. We are human beings who deserve to grow up, be safe, and be protected. We deserve to walk through our own neighborhoods without wondering if we’ll make it home.”.
The march’s organizers tied their push for a dedicated office to a set of long-standing disparities they say play out across policing and media coverage. Black women and girls make up about 12% of Cook County’s population. but account for around 30% of Cook County’s missing persons. according to the Cook County sheriff’s office and census estimates. Organizers said cases involving Black girls and women are often treated with less importance than those of white persons.
At the rally, Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th) described what she said she repeatedly hears when families call 911. “When we call 911, the police [say], ‘Were they angry?. What did they have on?. Were they arguing with their partner?. Did you fight with them?’ We’re not given that same attention,” Taylor said. She pointed to what she described as a different kind of effort when white people go missing. “We know when our white counterparts go missing. y’all bring out the dogs. the cats. y’all have people with sticks. y’all bring out the forest preserves. Everybody comes out when those girls go missing.”.
Another pressure point. advocates said. is the way families are left to navigate missing-person cases with limited communication and shifting personnel. They described “often a disconnect between families and the police department. ” including situations where officers may rotate on one missing person case and families receive few updates over time.
Timara Wade, an organizer with Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization, argued that a dedicated office would help close that gap. “We need this office to help us bridge the gap between law enforcement and the people most impacted,” Wade said. “Relatives will be able to get information needed if we are able to get this office here in Chicago.”.
As a model, Wade and other advocates pointed to the Minnesota Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls Office. Formed in 2023, the Minnesota office serves as a liaison between families and law enforcement to advocate for timely investigations. It also connects families to mental health assistance and other services.
The march was led by several organizations. including the Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization. GoodKids MadCity Englewood and Mothers Opposed to Violence Everywhere. Some attendees held signs. including one that read “Save our girls.” Louvenia Hood. executive director of Mothers Opposed to Violence Everywhere. said she is not tired of showing up—but she is tired of the lack of results. “I’m not tired of walking in the annual march,” Hood said. “I’m sick and tired of not getting results” in missing person cases.
Hood then turned to the young people in the crowd with a direct plea about what she believes can make a difference. She implored them to be more open to speaking with law enforcement. “Young people, walk for her,” Hood said. “You all might know the answer. That’s right, you be outside, you know where the hangouts are. Talk, talk, talk. Say what you know. Say what you feel. We need to hear from you all.”.
For families who have lived for too long with uncertainty, the annual march is both a reminder and a demand: attention that matches the scale of the problem, and a system built to keep families informed and cases moving.
Chicago Bronzeville missing Black girls missing and murdered Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization We Walk for Her Jeanette Taylor Mothers Opposed to Violence Everywhere law enforcement Minnesota Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls Office