UPDATE: Tekenya has been found! From a comment left by Renee:
I am happy to report that she was found this morning at 11:45 am. This story really had an effect on me both as a WOC and a mother. I cannot tell you how many times I have looked at my children and thought to myself, if something happens to you who will care beyond your father and I? Who will sound the alarm and let the world know that you are worth something? I know that I am not unique in anyway in this worry.
Tekenya’s story reminds us all just how vulnerable black children are in this world. I cannot help but think that had it not been for the amazing efforts of Gina from What About Our Daughters that she might have simply disappeared into the mass of humanity never to be heard from again. This shows me that we need to push harder for our missing children. We need to demand that the media and police make them a priority.
The original post is after the cut….
From The News and Observer, in North Carolina:
Durham police are looking for a pregnant 12-year-old girl who apparently ran away from a group home. Tekenya Wooten was last seen Saturday, wearing a white T-shirt, jeans and silver shoes. She’s 5-foot-1, weighs about 100 pounds and is eight months pregnant, Durham police said in a news release Thursday.
She may be near Maple Street, east of downtown, or Glasson Street, which is near Morreene and Erwin roads. Several tips have been received about those areas, said Detective T.M. Ochman. Police are also concerned about the health of her child, he said.
“Anybody that sees her, please, please call 911 immediately,” Ochman urged. “Don’t hesitate.”
Ochman said he was not familiar with any criminal charges having been filed in relation to Wooten’s pregnancy.
The media has a habit of not doing much coverage of black children who disappear. It’s likely that the only reason Tekenya is in the newspaper is that bloggers in the afrosphere are pushing it. For more on this story — both Tekenya’s disappearance, and the amazing efforts bloggers have been doing to make sure that her disappearance is not ignored — read the post and comments at What About Our Daughters, at Womanist Musings, and at Electronic Village. The first comment at What About Our Daughters includes a list of email addresses you can write expressing your concern and your hope that the government give Tekenya their full attention, and not sweep this case under the rug as just a runaway. (The entire comments section at WAOD is worth reading.)
Tekenya is 12 years old and pregnant. Maybe she wasn’t raped — if the father is approximately the same age as her — but it’s possible, perhaps likely, that her pregnancy resulted from forcible or statutory rape. I hope that’s an aspect of this case the police look into thoroughly.
While it’s nice to see concern being shown about a missing woman of colour for once, I’m really concerned about the circumstances of her disappearance and the consequences of her ‘retrieval’, given her age, pregnancy, and the fact that she’s living in a group home. Doesn’t anyone else here think that it’s very likely that she’s already been medically raped (forced prenatal ‘care’) and that she’s probably also being threatened with coerced ‘assistance’ (again, medical rape) for the delivery? The cause of her predicament aside, I can’t see any more-likely explanation for why a minor, 8-month pregnant girl would run away from a situation like this than being subject to institutionalized sexual assault. Being pregnant is not a crime, and no one–no matter her age–deserves to be sexually violated by anyone, including a doctor.
I personally hope that she has found someplace safe where she can have her child in peace.
I used to live at the corner of Morreene and Erwin streets–it was startling to see the exact intersection mentioned. Just for context, Erwin Road borders the campus of Duke University–so there are Duke’s piney woods on one side, businesses on the other side, a bus-stop at the corner. That first block of Morreene Road has an apartment complex where a lot of Duke grad students live, and next to that, a public housing complex.
If she’s in that neighborhood, she’s within walking distance of Duke Hospital (also on Erwin Road). And the Student Health Center (across from the hospital). But I’m guessing there’s very little chance she’ll be receiving care at either place.
I am happy to report that she was found this morning at 11:45 am. This story really had an effect on me both as a WOC and a mother. I cannot tell you how many times I have looked at my children and thought to myself, if something happens to you who will care beyond your father and I? Who will sound the alarm and let the world know that you are worth something? I know that I am not unique in anyway in this worry.
Tekenya’s story reminds us all just how vulnerable black children are in this world. I cannot help but think that had it not been for the amazing efforts of Gina from What About Our Daughters that she might have simply disappeared into the mass of humanity never to be heard from again. This shows me that we need to push harder for our missing children. We need to demand that the media and police make them a priority.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/crime_safety/story/1267228.html
I was just coming back to report the good news that she was found unharmed this morning–Renee beat me to it.
No further details really. I used to teach middle school in Durham, she could so easily have been one of my students. Thanks to all the bloggers who called attention to her story.
We tend to call these “Lakeesha Alerts” in the afrosphere … as it is evident that “Amber Alerts” don’t work for Black children … we issue our own Lakeesha Alerts!
Bloggers can send out alerts at 30,000 feet … however, it will take people on the ground in Durham (local church? family? local non-profit group that advocates for child health? Duke University?) to follow-up on the ground in support of Tekenya.
Why is she running away? Bloggers can’t deal with that … it takes folks in Durham to get those answers.
Our prayers are with Tekenya and her unborn child…
peace, Villager