A coalition of Black gender justice groups held an event in Leimert Park on Saturday to draw attention to the lives of murdered and missing Black girls and women.
Standing 4 Black Girls is made up of high school and college aged young people, as well as organizations such as the Women's Leadership Project.
Sikivu Hutchinson, a co-organizer of Saturday’s event, said that “black femicide is a crisis" that needs to be brought to the level of "national outrage."
"We see so many stories about missing white women and girls that are amplified and blown up in the media as cause célèbres,” she said. “There are not similar efforts being employed on a mainstream level for African American girls.”
In addition to awareness-raising events, the coalition also provides peer education workshops and mentorship programs.
Recently, Standing 4 Black Girls put together a youth task force looking at increasing mental health and preventative education resources for African American girls in South Los Angeles.
