Third in a three-part series
Brittany Clardy’s family knew something was wrong when she failed to return home on Feb. 11, 2013. Pleas to the police for help went nowhere, even as the family insisted it was out of character for the 18-year-old not to check in.
“When my sister went missing, we called the police,” said Lakeisha Lee, now 35. “They said maybe she ran away with her boyfriend. We told them that was not something she would do.”
Clardy’s body was discovered hidden under a blanket in the backseat of her car 10 days later when it was towed to an impound lot. Despite having a loving family and community surrounding her, the teen was groomed by a sex trafficker and murdered by a man who solicited sexual services advertised on Backpage.com — a since-shuttered website whose founder was sentenced in August to five years in federal prison for promoting sex trafficking.
“We had no idea this was going on,” Lee added. “Brittany was exploited by her boyfriend and killed by someone her boyfriend set her up with.”
Clardy’s tragic story isn’t unique. According to data, 60% of Black women nationwide report being subjected to coercive sexual contact by the time they turn 18. In Minnesota, the statistics are equally grim: Black women are murdered at a rate 2.7 times higher than white women. In 2020, 40% of domestic violence homicide victims were Black, although they comprise less than 7% of Minnesota’s overall population.
A year after Clardy’s death, Brittany’s Place launched as Minnesota’s first and largest shelter and program for youth experiencing sex trafficking or at risk for sex trafficking.
The state is now reaching another milestone as the Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls Office hires staff to ramp up its work. Legislation to establish the office was introduced during the 2023 legislative session and signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz, making Minnesota the first state to establish an office to end the systemic neglect and violence faced by Black women and girls.
The goal of the office is to honor the lives of those missing and murdered, elevate their stories, and prevent future tragedies through education, awareness, and transformative action.
The office will support and guide families during law enforcement investigations; facilitate communication between investigators, survivors, and family members; develop and distribute missing persons materials; connect victims to mental health services, support groups, and crime victim advocates; and educate youth, families and the community.
In March, Kaleena Burkes was hired to lead the office. Burkes formerly worked with the State Guardian ad Litem Board. During her nearly seven years there, she served as a program and training analyst and later became the organizational development manager overseeing statewide strategic issues, contract management, compliance, and the training department. She also formerly served as a research associate at the University of Minnesota Law School’s Robina Institute.
As a first-in-the-nation office, there is no blueprint to use as a reference. “Minnesota is leading the charge, [and] it’s a slow build; there are certain roadblocks, mandates and timelines,” Burkes said. “The community needs help now, but we’re building an office that will be sustainable for years.”
In 2021, Minnesota became the first state in the nation to dedicate resources to investigate and consider measures to reduce and prevent violence against Black women and girls when it created the Missing and Murdered African American Women’s Task Force.
The task force was convened on Nov. 29, 2021, by the Department of Public Safety and Research in Action, a Black queer female-led, multi-racial, gender-diverse social benefit corporation created to reclaim the power of research by centering community expertise and driving actionable solutions for racial justice.
The Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls Office falls within the Office of Justice Programs, a division of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
The role of the task force included:
- advising the Commissioner of Public Safety,
- reporting to the legislature on recommendations to reduce and end violence against African American women and girls in Minnesota, and
- serving as a liaison between the commissioner and agencies and organizations that provide legal, social, and other community services to victims, victims’ families, and victims’ communities.
The Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls Office is a direct result of that work.
“A majority of the task force were not Black women; it was filled with experts. We let them go to create a mirror council to guide the task force — the first time that was done,” said Dr. Brittany Lewis, founder and CEO of Research in Action. “[The state] knew it had to be done differently, and I’m glad they knew that. A council of Black women survivors leading the research shifted the dynamics.”
The task force’s work was immediately impactful. In addition to establishing the Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls office, the report received the Notable Document Award in the area of public safety last year from the National Conference of State Legislatures. And this month, the Office of Justice Programs within the U.S. Department of Justice hosted an event in Washington to encourage a more robust and coordinated federal response to violence against Black women.
“It’s the first time a federal agency responded in any way,” Dr. Lewis said. “We’re honored to be part of the work.”
Lee, who earned her degree in Criminal Justice at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, was among those with lived experiences who influenced the task force’s work. She also was part of the Minnesota delegation to meet with the Justice Department on Nov. 12.
“People really valued our lived experiences. Listening to people and valuing their opinions and experiences was new, never done before,” she said. “It’s hard work, and you have to be comfortable being the first one. [But] the process was better for it.
“The office will make sure people are listening to family members and those with lived experiences to ensure we’re not re-traumatizing women and families and then walking away.”
Cynthia Moothart welcomes reader responses to cmoothart@spokesman-recorder.com.