{"id":26974,"date":"2021-09-22T16:11:06","date_gmt":"2021-09-22T10:41:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/?p=26974"},"modified":"2021-09-22T16:11:06","modified_gmt":"2021-09-22T10:41:06","slug":"if-it-was-a-woman-of-colour-would-she-receive-the-same-attention-as-gabby-petito-did","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/if-it-was-a-woman-of-colour-would-she-receive-the-same-attention-as-gabby-petito-did\/","title":{"rendered":"If It Was A Woman Of Colour, Would She Receive The Same Attention As Gabby Petito Did?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el\" aria-label=\"Video - Gabby Petito: FBI believe they found the missing 22-year-old's body\"><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">It&#8217;s nearly impossible to turn on any cable or network news or log on any social media platform without seeing a parade of talking heads and amateur true-crime detectives wringing their hands about the heart-wrenching story of\u00a0<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"\/story\/tech\/2021\/09\/20\/gabby-petito-tiktok-brian-laundrie-true-crime\/5790826001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">Gabrielle &#8220;Gabby&#8221; <\/a>Petito&#8217;s\u00a0disappearance and\u00a0demise.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Petito, 22, vanished while on a cross-country excursion with her\u00a0fiance, Brian Laundrie, 23.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Police have described Laundrie, who has now <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"\/story\/news\/local\/2021\/09\/17\/gabby-petito-missing-protest-erupts-brian-laundrie-home-fiance-missing\/8381763002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">disappeared<\/a> himself, as &#8220;a person of interest&#8221; in what is now a <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"\/story\/news\/nation\/2021\/09\/21\/gabby-petito-brian-laundrie-sought-autopsy-body-found\/5795104001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">homicide<\/a> case.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img gnt_em_img__inset\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height: 451px;\" src=\"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/All-the-attention-Gabby-Petito-received-never-goes-to-people.jpg\" alt=\"This undated photo provided by the North Port, Fla., Police Department shows Gabrielle &quot;Gabby&quot; Petito.\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">As the public outcry and breathless media updates continue to swell, Petito has become &#8220;America&#8217;s<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FoxNews\/status\/1439391310406897673\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">\u00a0daughter<\/a>.&#8221; She was young, vibrant, and had a significant social media following because of her bubbly personality. She was petite, attractive, and blonde.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">She was also white.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">We&#8217;ve been here before \u2013 too many times. Tens of thousands of individuals \u2013 Black, Latino, Asian, Indigenous, LGBTQ, young, old, men, and boys \u2013 go missing every year. Some return to their families, some remain unaccounted for, and, unfortunately, some end up dead. But very few receive the national spotlight that seems reserved for white women and white girls.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\" aria-label=\"advertisement\"><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">These names immediately come to mind: Laci Parkerson, Elizabeth Smart, and Natalee Holloway. Names that are ingrained in our minds forever: Household names.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_h2\">What are their names, exactly?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">According to the <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/blackandmissinginc.com\/statistics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">Black and Missing Foundation<\/a>, a nonprofit organization that raises awareness about missing people of color across the country, there were 543,018 individuals reported missing last year. Nearly 40% of them are people of color.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">What are their names, exactly?<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">In Wyoming, where Petito&#8217;s body was found, at least <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/wysac.uwyo.edu\/wysac\/reports\/View\/7713\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">710 Indigenous people<\/a>, mostly women, and girls went missing from 2011 to 2020, according to a report by Wyoming&#8217;s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Task Force.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Were their names revealed?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height: 487px;\" src=\"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/1632301078_386_All-the-attention-Gabby-Petito-received-never-goes-to-people.jpg\" alt=\"This Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, photo, shows a Suffolk County Police Department missing person poster for Gabby Petito posted in Jakson, Wyo. Petito, 22, vanished while on a cross-country trip in a converted camper van with her boyfriend.\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">There&#8217;s a glaring disparity of news coverage and a systemic bias that has been discussed \u2013 and repudiated \u2013 for decades. It is absurd to believe that it is too late to bring this to light. Now is <em>precisely<\/em> the time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">I am often ashamed that I get lumped in with &#8220;the media,&#8221; especially during instances like this. Because many Americans don&#8217;t differentiate in their news sources, I feel compelled to say that we must improve. Our newsrooms must reflect the complexion of America, and we must raise reporting standards to see beyond the latest intriguing whodunit.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\" aria-label=\"advertisement\"><\/aside>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_h2\"><em>All<\/em> missing people deserve attention.<\/h2>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">No one is dismissing the circumstances surrounding the death of Petito, and no one is minimizing the pain the Petito family has endured. Like many Americans, I am outraged, too, particularly by what appears in <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" style=\"background-color: #fff;\" href=\"\/story\/news\/nation\/2021\/09\/16\/gabby-petito-brian-laundrie-police-bodycam-footage-missing-woman\/8371246002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">bodycam footage<\/a> to be a significant bungling by law enforcement when they encountered Petito and Laundrie in Utah.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">But it&#8217;s OK to want justice for Petito while still acknowledging that &#8220;<a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/depts.washington.edu\/hservmph\/articles\/2057\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">missing white woman syndrome<\/a>,&#8221; a term coined by the late journalist Gwen Ifill, is also an absolute travesty.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height: 353px;\" src=\"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/1632301078_453_All-the-attention-Gabby-Petito-received-never-goes-to-people.jpg\" alt=\"This police camera video provided by The Moab Police Department shows Gabrielle \u201cGabby\u201d Petito talking to a police officer after police pulled over the van she was traveling in with her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, near the entrance to Arches National Park on Aug. 12.\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Ultimately, this isn&#8217;t solely about race \u2013 it&#8217;s about people. Many people are missing: Mother and fathers, daughters and sons. Brothers and sisters. Friends and neighbors. They aren&#8217;t all beautiful and blonde. They don&#8217;t have many social media followers. Their families are worthy of America&#8217;s compassion and news coverage; their stories are just as important. These people want their loved ones to be safe. They need answers. They are also entitled to closure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em><span style=\"font-family: Calibri,sans-serif;\">National columnist\/deputy opinion editor Suzette Hackney is a member of USA TODAY&#8217;S <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"\/story\/opinion\/2019\/12\/04\/usa-today-editorial-board-who-we-are-editorials-debates\/4167361002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">Editorial Board<\/a>. Contact her at <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"mailto:shackney@usatoday.com\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\"><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">shackney@usatoday.com<\/span><\/a> or on Twitter: <a class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/suzyscribe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\">@suzyscribe<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_hf\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-type=\"method\" data-gl-method=\"loadHb64\" aria-label=\"column ending info\" data-t-cel=\"hb64\" data-gl-hb64=\"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\"><\/aside>\n<p><a class=\"gnt_em gnt_em__lp gnt_em_gl gnt_em__el\" href=\"\/picture-gallery\/opinion\/2021\/09\/01\/president-joe-biden-climate-change-cartoons-political-cartoons-editorial-cartoons-political-humor\/5682350001\/\" data-t-l=\":l|l|c|view gallery:inline promo\" aria-label=\"View Gallery - September political cartoon gallery from the USA TODAY Network\" data-g-r=\"nav_mo\" data-g-tn=\"pgcss\" data-g-mtn=\"pg5682350001\" data-g-moh=\"hpgm\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-expanded=\"false\" data-c-id=\"5682350001\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"gnt_em_gl_i\" src=\"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/1632301078_544_All-the-attention-Gabby-Petito-received-never-goes-to-people.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"372\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" title=\"\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s nearly impossible to turn on any cable or network news or log on any social media platform without seeing a parade of talking heads and amateur true-crime detectives wringing their hands about the heart-wrenching story of\u00a0Gabrielle &#8220;Gabby&#8221; Petito&#8217;s\u00a0disappearance and\u00a0demise. Petito, 22, vanished while on a cross-country excursion with her\u00a0fiance, Brian Laundrie, 23. Police have [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":27118,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[191,10,192,106],"tags":[2276,2275],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/e4ec9-16319374184606-800-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26974"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26974"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26974\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centralrecorder.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}