"For us, it is a calling - a calling that was inspired by the disappearance of a young woman from one of our hometowns of Spartanburg, South Carolina."
Can you imagine your loved one is missing and the very institutions created to help find them are unresponsive?
This radio silence is what the family of 24-year-old Tamika Huston experienced when Tamika vanished from her home in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Tamika’s case attracted little to no media coverage among Jennifer Wilbanks, Laci Peterson, and Natalee Holloway, white women who all went missing around the same time and whose names dominated the mainstream media, while Tamika’s family begged news organizations to cover her case.
To help even the playing field, we created the Black and Missing Foundation (BAMFI), using our expertise in law enforcement and public/media relations, to bring awareness to the plight of missing persons of color through public awareness campaigns and a forum for families of the missing to spread the word of their disappearance.
By the Numbers:
With over 240,000 persons of color reported missing every year, there are thousands of Tamika Houston’s who are never given a voice, a platform, or the chance to be found. This is why our mission at BAMFI—to help us find us—remains crucial as victims receive less and less news coverage during a time missing persons cases are increasing.
Help Us Find Us:
At BAMFI, we are committed to removing the barriers and eradicating the stereotypes and narratives surrounding our missing with law enforcement and the media. Our goal is to shine a spotlight on missing persons of color, but it takes all of us—law enforcement, the community, and the media—to help us find us.
We can’t do it without your support. We call on you to invest in our efforts by making a tax-deductible donation to advance our mission and bring awareness to missing people of color through actions like printing flyers, providing financial support for families as well as victim recovery, and burial service assistance.
Thanks in advance for joining the movement to help us find us!
Derrica Wilson & Natalie Wilson
— BAMFI FOUNDERS
Successful Homecomings
BAMFI has been successful in reuniting hundreds of missing individuals with their loved ones.
A 4 year-old Florida girl was taken out of state by her father...
…She had been missing for more than a month. Two of her father’s co-workers heard about the case on a national syndicated radio show and convinced the father to turn the missing girl over to local authorities. She was reunited with her mother.
A 15 year-old Spartanburg, S.C. girl was recovered...
…when a viewer recognized her profile from BAMFI’s clearinghouse and immediately contacted the organization. This led to her safe recovery close to two months after she first went missing.
A 16 year-old New York teen was missing for five months...
…when an anonymous viewer recognized her profile from a national syndicated television program and immediately called the BAMFI tipline to report her whereabouts, which led to her recovery at a shelter. She was reunited with her family.
A 5 year-old Kentucky girl was abducted by her father and...
…taken to his native Mali, West Africa. The case renewed concerns about the ease with which one parent can whisk a child out of the US without joint parental consent. Coverage of her story by BAMFI media partners prompted a reunion with mother and daughter eighteen months after she was taken.
A father was granted full custody of his two minor sons...
…During a scheduled visitation, a non-custodial mother took sons and fled Maryland. BAMFI assisted the father with working with local law enforcement and family court system, as well as circulating missing persons flyers on its social media platforms. As a result of a tip, the father was reunited with his sons.
"This wonderful organization not only helped to locate my daughter after she was missing for 5 days, they continued to frequently check on the both of us. Derrica and Natalie's passion and dedication helped ease my anxiety during this stressful time. They were committed to bringing my daughter home safely and they did just that. Thank you so much - we are forever grateful and appreciative of your dedicated services."
---- BRANDY J.