Missing and Murdered African American Women Task Force aims to end violence
Feb. 16, 2023
As we celebrate the contributions African American people have made this Black History Month, we at the Department of Public Safety (DPS) are also thinking of the ways we can better serve African American communities in Minnesota.
Too often the lives of African American women and girls in our state are cut short by violence. African American women and girls in Minnesota are almost three times as likely to be murdered as their white peers. While comprising only 7 percent of the state population, 40 percent of domestic violence victims in Minnesota are Black women.
The Missing and Murdered African American Women Task Force, which was created by the Minnesota Legislature and coordinated by DPS, studied the root causes of the violence to give us a plan to protect our Black women and girls.
Task force findings include:
- Root causes of violence include racism and other remnants of slavery that defined Black women and girls by future profitability to enslavers, ability to work and ability to bear children.
- Harmful stereotypes and beliefs about dangerous, hyper-sexual, irresponsible and lazy Black people continue to negatively impact Black women's and girls' lives today.
- Occupational segregation results in lower wages for women in Minnesota. In Minnesota, workers in female-dominated sectors earn $18 per hour, while workers in male-dominated sectors earn $21 per hour. While one in five of Minnesota's white women work in service jobs, more than one in three Black women work in service fields.
- One of the legacies of labor exploitation and discrimination is fewer opportunities to build savings to pay for quality housing. Safe, affordable housing is one of the most important factors in quality of life and protection from violence.
For years, impacted communities have been elevating this injustice and pushing for solutions. The report was just the beginning of our work to keep African American women and girls safe in Minnesota. The task force calls upon Minnesota to implement the following changes:
- Funding housing and other spaces and resources to serve African American women and girls.
- Developing effective culturally appropriate trainings and professional education for professionals including peace officers, prosecutors and victim services representatives.
- Recruiting and hiring more African American staff including peace officers, prosecutors, and victim services representatives.
- Establishing an office to support missing and murdered African American women and girls.
Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan have proposed creating an office within DPS's Office of Justice Programs to continue the task force's work in the 2024-25 biennial budget. The staff would promote efforts aimed at keeping Black women and girls safe.
Learn more about the Missing and Murdered African American Task Force on our website.
