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Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 114 No. 7 Two Sections
FEBRUARY 15-21, 2023
thenewpittsburghcourier Published Weekly $1.00
Combating racial bias when women are missing When Black women go missing, why doesn’t the media care as much? by Zach Petroff For New Pittsburgh Courier
It has been more than 1,140 days since Tonee Turner was last seen. On a Monday, around 6 p.m., Turner left the Dobra Tea shop in Squirrel Hill to catch a bus back to where she lived in Hazelwood. The bus driver reported seeing Turner get off the bus, as she usually did, on Gidding Street. She has not been seen since. There have been few developments on the whereabouts of the then 22-yearold Black woman. Turner’s disappearance garnered little national media attention, despite having similar circumstances to other, more mainstream stories involving missing women. The reason for the lack of national attention? Some say it could very well be the fact that Turner is not White. “Missing White Woman Syndrome,” a phrase
coined by the late Gwen Ifill, the first Black woman to host a nationally televised U.S. public affairs program on PBS, described the tendency of media to focus coverage of missing-person cases that involve young, traditionally attractive, upper- and middle-class White women rather than women of color. On Feb. 3, Duquesne University hosted a panel discussion on Missing White Woman Syndrome with investigative, media and ethical considerations. Understanding and assessing this sociological blind spot could help evaluate, and perhaps help to curb, the alarming violence occurring against Black women in the Pittsburgh area. It can also combat the biases in society that put an emphasis on the value of White women over Black women. SEE MISSING WOMEN A4
GWEN’S GIRLS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR KATHI ELLIOTT, PITTSBURGH ASSISTANT POLICE CHIEF LAVONNIE BICKERSTAFF.
Qiana Buckner strives to become first Black female mayor of Penn Hills by Diane I. Daniels For New Pittsburgh Courier
Most of Qiana Buckner’s adolescent years were spent in foster care and homeless shelters throughout the Pittsburgh area. A Penn Hills resident for the majority of her adult years, leaning on her life experiences, she has been involved in the community helping others facing similar circumstances with the goal to build a promising future for young people by opening doors of opportunities for them. With the vision to lead and help the residents of Penn Hills, Buckner is campaigning to be the next mayor of Penn Hills. If successful, she will become Penn Hills’ first Black female mayor. She relayed to the New Pittsburgh Courier that her priorities for the municipality are public safety, positive community-police relations, government accountability, community
recreation and investment, public infrastructure, and building pathways to quality living. “There’s a need for restoration in Penn Hills,” Buckner said. “A need to build and strengthen partnerships and relationships that make our community stronger.” During her official campaign announcement in December 2022, she said: “I stand, with a grieving heart, for the young people and parents of our community whom I love, cherish, and connect with daily. Some of our residents have nowhere to go, nothing to do, and no recreational facilities or additional resources that address the mental, physical, and emotional stress they face regularly. Now more than ever, it is crucial for us to come together as a whole community. Quoting our 16th president of the United States, Mr. Abraham Lincoln, ‘A SEE BUCKNER A6
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QIANA BUCKNER IS RUNNING FOR MAYOR OF PENN HILLS.