In 2021, the search for 22-year-old Gabby Petito dominated the news cycle. From network cable news and local television stations to the headlines of newspapers and blogs, everyone was talking about the disappearance and death of the young woman believed to be killed by her boyfriend. Three years later, her father, Joseph Petitio, is turning his tragedy into advocacy for people who don’t get the coverage they deserve: Black and brown missing people.
Petito told CNN that at the height of his daughter’s search, he was tagged in social media posts about the term “Missing White Woman Syndrome,” so he looked it up. The term was first coined by American Studies professor Sherri Parks and popularized by the late TV anchor Gwen Ifill, who mocked newsroom executives at a journalism conference in 2004.
“If it’s a missing white woman, you’re going to cover that every day,” Ifill boldly stated. Social scientists define the term as just that. It’s the idea that the media is far more likely to seize on the disappearance of a white woman than that of a woman of color.
According to the Black and Missing Foundation, 40% of missing persons are people of color, yet African Americans make up only 13% of the population. Even more alarming, according to the foundation, is the coverage of white and minority victims is disproportionate for several reasons. Minority children are often initially classified as runaways and, as a result, do not receive the Amber Alert. Missing
minority adults are usually labeled as associating with criminal or gang activity and drugs. It’s also believed that missing minorities are living in impoverished conditions, as a result, law enforcement assume that crime is a regular part of their lives.Joseph Petito Helps Black and Brown Families Get The Coverage They Deserve
Now, Joseph Petito is making sure the stories of Black and Brown missing persons get the coverage they deserve. He advocates for missing people of color through the Gabby Petito Foundation, an organization that honors his daughter. The nonprofit is on a mission to raise awareness of missing people and prevent domestic violence.
The foundation is partnering with families of missing Black and brown people and groups dedicated to raising awareness of these cases.
One case Mr. Petito is advocating for is of 24-year-old Daniel Robinson. Robinson went missing after leaving a work site in the desert in his Jeep Renegade on June 23. It took local media more than two weeks after his disappearance to cover his case. His father, David Robinson, lives in South Carolina. He hired an independent investigator and assembled his own volunteer search team because he felt the police weren’t making any progress in his son’s case. At the same time, there was a manhunt for Gabby Petito. Robinson said it was “hurtful” witnessing how her case was met with more urgency and national attention than his Black son.
“You wish you lived in a world where everything was equal, but it’s really not equal,” Robinson told CNN.
Mr. Petito has become an ally and advocate in the search for Daniel.
“What Mr. Petito has done for my family, it means a lot to me,” Robinson said during an interview.
“Because he had a tragedy, and it’s amazing when a person can take a tragedy and make something big out of it, become an advocate, and help people.”
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