Starring Garcelle Beauvais, Iyana Halley, Taylor Mosby, Linda Park and Cleo Fraser, Lifetime’s “Black Girl Missing,” part of the network’s “ripped from the headlines” lineup, is a drama about Cheryl and her daughter Lauren. crime drama and they had a heated argument over the latter’s wish to drop out. When Lauren didn’t answer her calls or texts, Cheryl thought her daughter was just mad at her and ignored her, only to find out that she had indeed disappeared. Now, she turns to the authorities and the media for help, but all she gets is their judgment — saying Lauren was a runaway — while they focus on another missing person case of a white girl.
After taking the case into her own hands, Cheryl turned to her 15-year-old daughter, Marley, and the internet community for help in finding Lauren. Soon, she came across the Black People and the Missing Foundation and discovered that cases of disappearances of people of color were neither getting enough media coverage nor the proper resources for law enforcement. Director Delmar Washington tackles popular themes like missing persons cases and prejudice against black people enough to make you question whether the Lifetime movie is rooted in reality. Well, let’s explore, shall we?
Are Black Girls Missing a True Story?
No, “The Black Girl Missing” is not based on a true story. However, as the film’s opening title reads, it’s actually “inspired by true stories of disappearing women of color,” highlighting unfortunate truths about the justice system. But as far as compelling and realistic storylines go, it’s the brainchild of Kale Futterman, who wrote the scripts for Samir, Ginny and Georgia and the short film Lark. With her creative thinking, strong writing skills and industry experience, she was able to create unique scripts for Lifetime Films.
While the movie isn’t based on any particular event that actually happened in real life, it’s a confluence of different stories that happen far more often than we realize. However, some aspects of the story are true, such as black people and missing foundations. It was founded in 2008 as the de facto foundation of Derrica Wilson and Natalie Wilson to help people of color find their missing loved ones. Also, the prejudice against black people throughout the film is a very real and pervasive theme when it comes to media attention, reporting, and careless handling by the police.
in a telephone interview black girl nerd, Garcelle Beauvais, who plays Cheryl in “The Black Missing Girl,” was asked to detail the apparent discrimination faced by black missing cases. She said, “When we went missing, she was immediately a runaway. It had nothing to do with what might have happened, how we could help or where we could have gone. In the movie, the police didn’t return their calls, not enough was done, Said she was 18 and of age.”
Garcelle added, “Well, if she’s white and 18, that’s a different story. I think those are things that we want to put in the movie, not avoid, because it actually happened. So , and the next time an officer finds a missing person of color on his desk, he won’t dispose of it as a fugitive.” The film also touches on the bullying and depression that black girls often experience .
In the same interview, Garcelle was asked why it was important to include these themes in the film. She replied: “Growing up, no one talked about things like that. We didn’t know what mental health was. We just said, ‘Oh, you’re crazy’ and ‘Sit down. ’ It’s important to show because that’s what we’re dealing with right now.” So with all of that in mind, it’s fair to say that while “Black Missing Girls” was inspired by different true stories of black missing women, it wasn’t Based on a specific true story.
Read more: Where Was Lifetime’s Black Girl Disappearance Filmed? Who’s in the cast?
