Chicago's 9th annual "We Walk For Her" march raises awareness for murdered and missing women of color

Activists marched through the Bronzeville neighborhood on Wednesday evening to raise awareness for the dozens of unsolved cases of missing and murdered Black and brown women and girls in Chicago.

The Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization was among the local groups behind the 9th annual "We Walk For Her" march.

Whether they have been directly impacted by cases of murdered or missing women, or just wanted to support the cause, those marching on Wednesday were all there for one thing.

"These Black girls, girls of color, they don't get as much recognition as other females or women do," said Crystal Young, a college student youth intern at the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization.

Zakiyyah Muhammad said she's been a supporter of the organization ever since they started the marches.

"We have to continue to let people know, 'Hey, our girls are still missing,'" she said.

Nearly 100 people, mostly teens and young adults, organized the march, walking two miles along Cottage Grove Avenue in Bronzeville to speak about how women and girls of color in Chicago are disproportionately affected by disappearances, making up a significant portion of the city's active missing persons cases.

"I want people to reflect on the fact that, one, this does bring awareness, but, two, this is also the community," said Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization youth organizer Timara Wade.

Organizers of the march said Black women and girls in Chicago are disproportionately affected by disappearances, making up a significant portion of the city's active missing persons cases.

Louvenia Hood, executive director of Mothers Opposed to Violence Everywhere said while they haven't seen the results they want yet, they're not going to stop until they do.

"We have been walking for nine years. We're not tired yet, and we have no results on nothing," she said.

In years past, the event has brought out large crowds to raise awareness for a big problem.

Chicago police escorted the demonstrators from 35th Street to 51st Street on Cottage Grove, and department leaders said they're actively addressing community concerns.

"We've joined the missing and murdered taskforce. In addition to that, the detective bureau has put a commander specifically to help address this particular issue. We have been working with our federal partners to really reach out and further the investigations," said CPD Director of Community Policing Glen Brooks.

As the group slowly moved down Cottage Grove, they hoped by slowing down traffic, people will also take a moment and reflect on the faces of those still missing.

"I'm so proud of the youth that have done this year after year. This is second year here," said Rebecca Rabb, who formed the nation's first Office for Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls in the state of Minnesota.

She joined the youth in Bronzeville as they pushed for accountability in unsolved cases in Chicago

"The hope is that we can empower the community to better learn what to do moving forward if somebody goes missing and how to prevent it," Rabb said.

Whatever is driving the alarming number of missing and murdered women of color in Chicago and around the nation, organizers of Wednesday's march said they will continue to take the necessary steps to eliminate it.

"We need to do more. We need to implement better systems, we need to be able to really handle these cases, and we need to be able to talk to these individuals that are directly impacted to make that sure we are handling their cases correctly," Wade said.

Wade said she walks to raise awareness for unsolved cases of missing and murdered women and girls of color, not because it's her job, but because it impacts her personal life.

"I've had people that I know personally who went missing and they were told, individuals in the family were told that they just ran away, or that they would come back, and the family members were just not taken serious," she said.

High-profile Chicagoans often attend. Last year, Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling joined the march.

"We're hoping that they continue to show support, but they also understand that it's not just simply about the support, but it's actively trying to change and make that movement happen in relation to that office and getting that support that our community members need," Wade said.

Wade also wants to stress that when a woman of color goes missing, it doesn't always mean they've run away.

"Just because there are misconceptions and misconstruing of us just running away and never coming back does not mean that that is true," she said.