News - Empowering the Voiceless: A Howard University Student's Mission to Highlight Missing Black Women

In an inspiring initiative spearheaded by Avery Bernard Johns, a student at Howard University, the persistent and troubling issue of missing Black women in Washington, D.C., is receiving much-needed attention through a pioneering database called Deadlining. Amid systemic underreporting and indifference, this database chronicles incidents of absence and harm dating back to 1961, countering the institutional neglect often faced by these communities. Drawing parallels with historical redlining, Johns emphasizes the need for urgent reforms in media and law enforcement treatment of such cases. The database, birthed from frustration at the dearth of attention missing Black women receive, evolves constantly, holding authorities accountable and shining a light on grim statistics—where Black women, representing minor percentages of the population, are disproportionately affected by missing persons cases. Statistics from Johns Hopkins affirm that Black women are involved in 20% of missing person cases, yet they receive significantly less attention than their counterparts. During a seminal presentation at the University of New Hampshire, Johns unveiled the scope and ambition of Deadlining. She related it to redlining—a discriminatory practice historically entrenched against people of color—demonstrating how systemic biases persist in modern frameworks of security and justice. The seeds of this project took root amidst the haunting disappearance of Hattie Yvonne Jackson, a case reflective of pervasive indifference. Furthering the reach and efficacy of Deadlining, Bernard Johns collaborates with the Metropolitan Police Department, overcoming hurdles of inaccessible data, alongside modernizing the documentation process. Her ambitions expand beyond Washington, D.C., envisioning a national network of information through geospatial technology that fosters public policy overhaul and amplifies awareness. By rooting the project in the heart of Howard University, Johns embodies a spirit of activism aiming to redress systemic failures collectively. Her proactive approach sets a precedent for raising awareness and creating tools to combat the neglect—empowering communities, acknowledging the disappeared, and promoting accountability for every missing individual. Johns' determination underscores a broader societal mission, as she contends, 'Awareness is a powerful tool, and with it, we advocate for change.'