Lakeesha Alert *

Most of you are probably familiar with the Amber Alert system, its history, and its purpose so, I won't take the time to explain it here. But, just in case you are thinking that the "Lakeesha Alert" must be some kind of joke, think again because it is not. Although I am not clear on how long it has been in existence, I just recently learned that this alert was specifically designed for the purpose of assisting in the safe return of missing children of color. It seems that the idea for this alert system was started on the internet by a few African American bloggers and other concerned persons across the blogoshere.

Apparently, there are some of us out there who have very strong feelings that the current Amber Alert system does very little to assist in the safe return of missing children of color and, in particular, African American children. So, if you are a consistent user of social medias and networks on the internet, you might want to know that you can make use of the "Lakeesha Alert" logo button to draw additional attention to a missing child of color story that you are aware of and possibly help save a life.

One recent example of this was the massive search for little 2 year old Jada Justice earlier this summer. In addition to the Amber Alert that was issued, many concerned persons across the blogosphere used the "Lakeesha Alert" logo button and posted information on their blogs and websites about the toddler. Unfortunately, little Jada's story had a sad and tragic ending but, the additional efforts of all the people across the blogosphere who tried to help did not go unnoticed. Just in case there might be some more folk out there (like me) who didn't know about the "Lakeesha Alert", I wanted to do what I could to pass on awareness about its existence.

So, if you have a missing loved one of color (or know someone else in that situation) and need to get the word out about them as soon as possible, please consider using the "Lakeesha Alert" logo button in addition to any other reporting systems already in place, including the Amber Alert. When time is of the essence and a child's life maybe hanging in the balance, I firmly believe that we should use any and all forms of media that are available to us to help find that child. But, it would be wise for us to remember... after you have done all that is within your power to do, their ultimate fate (just like our own) rests in the hands of a loving, merciful God and not an alert.

* NOTE: The "DeShawn Alert" can be used for boys.