Lifetime is partnering with the Black and Missing Foundation on a project that will highlight disparity among missing persons cases. A press release announced that the network has greenlit “Black Girl Missing” from exec producer and star Garcelle Beauvais (“Spider-Man: Homecoming”). Inspired by “actual stories of missing women of color,” it “tells the story of a mother whose daughter is missing, only for authorities and media to dismiss her as a runaway while focusing heavily on another missing girl who is white.”
“When Cheryl (Beauvais) gets into an argument with her daughter Lauren (Iyana Halley) over her desire to drop out of college, she initially thinks Lauren is simply ignoring her calls and texts, but Cheryl soon realizes Lauren is missing,” the film’s synopsis details. “While she attempts to get help from authorities and the media, they quickly dismiss the case, labeling Lauren as a runaway while they are all too consumed with another case – that of a missing white girl. Desperate to find Lauren, Cheryl and her 15-year-old daughter Marley (Taylor Mosby) enlist the help of a dedicated community of amateur internet sleuths to try to find Lauren. Cheryl also discovers the Black and Missing Foundation and is horrified to discover the disparity in how missing persons of color cases are treated with significant lack of media attention and law enforcement resources.”
Derrica and Natalie Wilson, founders of Black and Missing Foundation, are serving as consultants on the film. Beauvais will be featured in a new PSA for the Black and Missing Foundation as part of the movie’s rollout. The non-profit is dedicated to “[bringing] awareness to missing persons of color” and providing “vital resources and tools to missing person’s families and friends and to educate the minority community on personal safety.”
“Black Girl Missing” premieres March 4th at 8/7c. Lifetime also has a companion piece to the movie in the works, “Beyond the Headlines: Black Girl Missing,” a special that will focus on true stories of Black and missing women.
