Sisters of the Underground Announces ‘MELANIN Alerts’ Program

MELANIN: MISSING ENDANGERED LEGAL ALERT NOTIFICATION INITIATED NATIONWIDE

USA, February 1, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — National Black Empowerment Organization Sisters of the Underground (SOTU) has announced the MELANIN Alerts: (Missing Endangered Legal Alert Notification Initiated Nationwide) Program; an initiative structured to target search areas and a Bulletin alert developed to inform media, and transportation agencies of missing and endangered persons within Black communities nationally. The shareable mobile alert system (TEXT: MELANIN 702.608.8551) has a direct up-to-date link for posters, photographs and critical details.

SOTU is a grassroots crisis response organization that provides supportive services to families of missing persons, victims of sex trafficking, and domestic violence in Black communities. The current statistics for missing Black children and adults are overwhelming; however, that is not reflected in mainstream news coverage and rarely grabs national headlines. The media plays a critical role in frequency in which information is dispersed into the Black community.

More than 268K Black children were reported missing in 2021. Modeled similarly to the AMBER Alert system, the MELANIN Alerts Program allows organizations and networks to create nationwide support that will increase a greater chance of a missing person’s recovery…quickly and safely. The primary criterion to execute a MELANIN Alert are: (1) an official missing person’s police report has been filed; (2) valid family (i.e., parent or guardian only) direct contact information; (3) the missing person’s name and other critical data elements are available. (4) reasonable suspicion that a man, woman, or child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death; (5) there is adequate descriptive information about the victim and circumstances surrounding the disappearance or endangerment.

Local and/or state members who are specially trained advocates of Sisters of the Underground determines if a case qualifies for MELANIN Alerts which are issued by SOTU National Leadership and distributed through a texting service, social media, and email providing any and all information available, including a photograph of the missing child, a license plate number, name and description of child and suspected abductor. The number of alerts that may be seen depends on how many alerts are issued in their area.

This program will bring more attention to missing Black children, in particular, who deserve the same attention as non-melanated victims. SOTU recognizes the chances of finding a missing child increases when more people are on the lookout, especially in the critical first hours. The goal is to initiate the MELANIN Alerts program quickly to those who are in the best position to adequately assist. All too often mainstream media has not adequately utilized their platforms to issue informative alerts for missing Black men, women, and children. There is an urgent need for this program.

#SistersOfTheUnderground #SOTU #melaninalerts

MEDIA INQUIRIES: [email protected]

TEXT: MELANIN 702.608.8551

Lesedi Shakur, National Chairwoman
Sisters of the Underground
+1 725-243-6168
[email protected]
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