In a year dominated by high-profile true crime stories and sensational missing persons cases, Amazon Prime’s latest documentary, Missing Black Women, is igniting a firestorm.
The documentary has triggered both support and backlash, squarely aimed at the mainstream media’s long-standing failure to cover the disappearances of Black women and girls in America.
Directed by Will “Weba” Anderson, a Black independent filmmaker, the film pulls no punches. It exposes how missing Black women are routinely met with silence from national news outlets, receive fewer law enforcement resources, and are often left to vanish without justice, or even acknowledgment.
“When a white girl goes missing, the world stops… But when a Black girl disappears, no search parties, no outrage, no news alert,” says the trailer’s narrator. “It doesn’t bring media clicks. So there’s just silence. And we’re done being silent.”
A Film That Refuses to Look Away
The film features emotional interviews with family members of the missing, as well as chilling statistics: while more than 30% of missing persons in the U.S. are people of color, only about 7% of those cases receive media attention.
“They are our mothers and fathers, our children,” says one woman in the film. “You never hear about them.”
Anderson’s documentary uplifts the often-erased voices of those searching for their loved ones, while also supporting real-world action. Proceeds from rentals and purchases are being donated to grassroots organizations, including The Black & Missing Foundation, Our Black Girls Foundation, and The Safe Sisters Circle.
Backlash and a Filmmaker’s Response
While the film has been praised by advocates for social justice and families of the missing, it has also drawn criticism online—some of it overtly racist.
In a viral reaction video, Anderson reads aloud a hateful comment that stated, “You can’t make money about Black women… White women are usually innocent and actually get harmed.” Visibly upset, Anderson pushes back:
“I made this movie to protect Black women because it’s not being done enough in cinema—period,” he said. “Comments like this win at the end of the day when we don’t support movies like ours. Because if we don’t support, who will?”
A National Pattern of Neglect
The release of Missing Black Women comes amid growing calls for equitable media coverage in the true crime genre, where white victims—particularly young white women—often receive extensive press, viral campaigns, and swift police response.
In contrast, Black women and girls are frequently mischaracterized as “runaways,” criminalized, or simply ignored.
“I just want those resources that everybody else is getting,” a tearful mother says in the film. “To at least apply for her.”
A Call to Action
The film’s message is clear: silence is complicity. Viewers are being urged to watch, share, and support the documentary—not only to raise awareness, but to push for systemic change.
“Their stories have been ignored for far too long,” reads a caption in the trailer. “Being silent is no longer an option.”
Missing Black Women exposes racial bias in the media and makes a bold call for justice, dignity, and visibility.
