A bill to establish a task force investigating Wisconsin’s missing and murdered African American women and girls was approved by the Assembly.
According to The Gender Policy Report from the University of Minnesota, 54% of all women in the country are Black, including 34% of those who were reported missing in 2020.
Madison Democratic State Representative Shelia Stubbs was moved to tears on the assembly floor as she pleaded with legislators to back the bill.
The bill’s author, Stubbs, claims it has taken her two years to bring it this far.
“This bill is close to my heart. For me, it’s a passion,” said state representative Stubbs. Personally, I would rather not see a statistic and do nothing about it. I wanted to start talking about it.”
Furthermore, The Gender Policy Report discovered that, on average, cases involving Black women and girls remain open four times longer nationwide than other cases. Abductees, victims of sex trafficking, and those fleeing abuse are among the thousands of Black women and girls who have gone missing.
By the end of 2024, the nonpartisan task force will have examined the causes of the disproportionate violence, developed solutions to problems, and produced a report for the legislature.
Georgia Hill has shown her support for other families and is in favor of the bill. On March 26, 2023, Lasheky Hill, her daughter, was last seen in Racine on the 1000 block of Martin Luther King Drive. Concerns about the scenario and strange circumstances were noted by the police.
The case is still ongoing, according to RPD, although there have been no developments for almost a year.
“I’m not sure where I would be if God hadn’t been in my life. Going through this is really traumatic for a parent, especially a mother,” Hill remarked. “I don’t want other parents going through what I’m going through now.”
Standing next to one of Lasheky’s grandchildren, Hill is inspired to never give up on her family and other people.
“I’m going to continue speaking up, battling, and doing whatever else I can to find my child. I’m not going to give up,” said Hill.
The task force law still has to pass both the governor’s desk and the Senate.
