I can't go outside without holding my keys in between my fingers just in case someone decides to attack me. My shoulders are becoming familiar to the constant 360 turn. The hairs on my arms rise in fear of being trapped and controlled by someone but myself. I've found ways to prevent any attention towards my femininity. I shouldn't have to guard anything that is a part of me so why I am doing this?
If you live around the NYC area then you know that women in all boroughs are going missing. Its down to a women missing every week and I'm starting to feel like a target. Why should I feel like I have to carry a weapon for safety? Is that the only resolution we can come up with to stop this ongoing tragedy?
Tuesday morning on my way to run some errands, I came across a sign in big bold letters that said MISSING. I quickly looked around to see if there was anyone looking at the same sign as I was. There was no one interested. I quickly read the sign and suddenly felt small. Her last text messages were to her mother about how she was taking the E train on her way home. Besides relating to the text messages Ashante Churchill sent to her mother, I was appalled by the amount of careless people.
I put myself in the shoes of Ashante Churchill and thought how she could have went missing. Did the criminal creep up behind her grab her by the head and quickly shoved something down her throat to make her forget? Or was she syringed with instant unconsciousness? Now this thought process may sound morbid but ladies we have to think about these positions since it seems to be a rising epidemic to kidnap.
I immediately felt alert and kept thinking if I was in that place I would use all of my lungs, strength, anger and fear to try and defend myself. Then I thought "well what if that isn't enough..?" The reality of it is, we live in a highly advanced world where black market medication is a phone call away. You never know what anyone is capable of until you face it. We need to stand up as a community to promote free defense classes for all genders, teach a class to all students about what they should look out for, and most importantly make it a real issue.
Our world is technology, if we can sit at home and browse around social media networks we can take some time out of our day post about missing people. The same way people protest about "all lives matter" or "black lives matter", should be the same attention missing people receive. The same way the tabloids are filled with Kim Kardashians new workout method, should be the same way missing people are exposed to the media. We are the generation that can change the future, lets start today. Stay True to You.
