Why I am Doing This? So Happy You Asked

Since the news broke that Phylicia Robinson is missing and I created a facebook page to spread the awareness and get the word out, I have been asked the same questions countless times for the past four days. "Why are you doing this?" "How do you know her?" are the two main questions I am getting asked over and over again. So I decided to write a post on this blog explaining why I feel the need to spread awareness. Quite frankly, I am tired of these questions and though I don't find them offensive, I do find them quite annoying.
   Black people as a whole do not get enough media coverage when one of us ends up hurt, missing or murdered under unknown circumstances. I am so tired of seeing missing and hurt African Americans on the news only getting five second slots for coverage. It is not fair, it is not right and no matter how much we complain and boycott, it still has not changed. So when I find out that a young, black woman in my city is missing, yes by all means I want to build as much awareness as possible to get her home safe and sound.
  Are me and Phylicia related? No. Are me and Phylicia best friends? No. Have we ever partied? No. Have I ever met her? Yes. Is she a friend of a friend? Yes. Am I acquainted with her? Yes. Do I think it matters that I don't know  her like that? No. Why? Because she is a human being who people love and are worried about and to see her family and friends on national television upset and going crazy breaks MY heart. I think there is no excuse for me to live in a city that is but so big that I reach out and help in different organizations all the time, to not do something. Because if I was missing and nobody knew where I was, I would want someone to do the same thing for me.
    Why does it matter who I am? Where I am from? Why I am doing this? What gives? If it wasn't for the fact that somebody gave me the bright idea to ask people if they wanted to help search and pass fliers and the word around I would have stayed anonymous. The only reason why I put my number on the page was so that people could have access to fliers and have a safe meeting place. I never asked the media to show up to my place of work. Hell, I was pissed off because they had no right doing that without my permission. And when they did show up, they didnt want to talk about her. They wanted to know about the page I created so it could bring more people around Hampton Roads to access it so they would know what's going on.
   The candlelight vigil was so not my idea. However, I do take responsibility for the reaction because I believe I should not have posted about it in the first place. I just want her found for Christ sake. She doesnt deserve this. Her friends don't deserve this. Her family don't deserve this. Most importantly, her son doesn't deserve this.
  Thank you so much everyone for spreading awareness, for praying and for having her family's back.


Love,


Tanisha M. Monroe