Black women and girls are uniquely vulnerable and too easily erased from public discussions about missing and murdered people. Statistics paint a devastating picture of the magnitude of the issue: over 60,000 Black women and girls are missing in the United States, and Black women are more than twice as likely than their peers to be victims of homicide. In Minnesota, only 7% of the Minnesota population is Black women but 40% of domestic violence victims are Black women — and Black women are nearly 3 times more likely to be murdered than white women.

By creating the Missing and Murdered African American Women’s (MMAAW) Task Force in 2021, the Minnesota Legislature became the first U.S. state to dedicate resources to investigate and to consider the measures necessary to reduce and prevent violence against Black women and girls.

Released in December 2022, the final report summarizes the work of the Task Force and Advisory Council to address the above areas and provides recommendations based on the information gained from the Equity in Action process — including insight from nearly 50 interviews, in addition to a deep literature review and quantitative data analysis — to the Minnesota Legislature, state agencies, and other entities responsible for solving the MMAAW injustice in Minnesota and supporting Black women and girls.

We already know that there is an epidemic of violence against Black women and girls — because they have been telling us for generations. But they have not been heard. By contracting with Research in Action on the task force, the state embraced RIA’s requirement that the process be guided by an MMAAW Advisory Council made up of Black women and girls who have experienced violence, abduction, and/or trafficking, and family members who have lost a loved one to this violence.

This report does not necessarily reveal new information for those most impacted by this issue but rather prioritizes the voices and expertise of those most impacted in ways that past reports and analysis have not.

Establish a Missing and Murdered African American Women Office to:

• Search for and partnering with grantmaking organizations willing to create grant opportunities to distribute funds to Black women-led community organizations and new initiatives

• Develop and monitor effective training and protocols co-designed by Black women and girls to be later mandated for use by local counties, law enforcement, public health professionals, shelters, human service providers, and affordable housing administrators.

• Work with Safe Harbor, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehensive, local law enforcement, and shelters to develop coordination strategies

• Monitor and evaluate efforts to improve coordination of services across agencies

Create & fund specific spaces and resources to serve Black women & girls

Black women and girls have ideas, based on lived experience and intergenerational knowledge, that, if applied with sufficient resources, could generate better outcomes for victims of violence or those who seek support to reduce their exposure to violence. Direct funds should be allocated to efforts created by and for Black women and girls to address disparities and create new intervention and support models.

Develop effective, culturally appropriate, anti-racist trainings and professional education

Better, consistent training is needed for professionals who work with Black women and girls to build trust and repair historical harms. Training should be relevant to the specific area of service or professional field, and periodic to build skills and respond to emergent issues.

Hire and retain African American staff

Data emphasized the need to hire more people who reflect the community experiences and cultural backgrounds, as well as the retention of existing Black staff to avoid a “revolving door” where burnout leads to departures. Relevant state agencies should eliminate unnecessary barriers to Black applicants; create pathways for African American applicants with lived experience to gain necessary credentials, and; provide professional development resources to retain and support for Black, Indigenous and POC staff.

Design and support better coordination across agencies

Coordinating across the many agencies and offices that relate to issues of MMAAW is key to reducing the frustrations, fears, and roadblocks Black women and girls experience, as well as increasing effectiveness of professionals. This includes providing a range of services in spaces that serve survivors of violence, such as shelters and health clinics; coordinating referrals to other services to reduce the burden on survivors or victims’ families; and creating a new statewide missing persons database.

Make emergency and long-term housing accessible and affordable

Black women and girls are the most severely impacted by the housing crisis. Increased efforts to create short term and permanent affordable housing options is urgently needed, including funding for Black or BIPOC specific shelters and emergency safe houses; eliminating prohibitory eligibility restrictions for existing shelters; housing policies that recognize family structures beyond the “nuclear family;” and shelter spaces where older children or vulnerable family members of any gender identity can stay with their parent.

From those of us who have been directly harmed to people who work in law enforcement and nonprofits, everyone can and must play a role in ending violence against Black women and girls. Below are just a few ways you can use the information and recommendations in this report to advance change. We invite you to share your ideas with us by emailing communications@researchinaction.com.