TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The FBI says 424,000 kids says were reported missing in 2018.
What’s more troubling for a group of moms in the Big Bend is that nearly 40 percent of those children were African-American.
After hearing countless stories about attempted abductions and worse, Melanin Mothers Meet are on a mission to educate parents about the dangers their children face in hopes of keeping them protected.
"You just really have some crazy people out there," said Trishay Burton.
With stories about child abductions both nationally and in Tallahassee, Trishay Burton says now is the time for parents to think about how they approach the topic with their children.
"I want to make sure people know this is what's going on. Maybe we can figure it out together a space to talk about these things and figure out some solutions," said Burton.
Burton is one of the founders of Melanin Mothers Meet.
Abductions of African American children is something this group wants to bring awareness to and for good reason.
The FBI says 37 percent of the 424,000 plus children who disappeared in 2018 were African-American.
"We need to be coming together to figure out what it is that we need to do. Politically, obviously that's always the move, but even as a community on the more softer, intimate side," said Burton.
On Sunday, Melanin Mothers Meet partnered with the Tallahassee Police Department and invited parents in to talk about the things they can do now to help their children navigate a potentially dangerous situation later.
"We always teach our kids what not to do. We need to focus on teaching them what to do," said Officer Files.
That includes making sure your child knows something as simple as your name, phone number, and address.
"A lot of time we interact with children and they just say 'mommy' or 'daddy,'" said Officer Files.
As long as children keep disappearing, Burton vows to keep bringing attention to the issue.
"We have to work together as a community. We have the police department and other safety measures. We want to make sure that we're using them all," said Burton.
The police department also suggests keeping an up-to-date photo with you.
