A pregnant mother in California goes missing in 2002, and foul play is suspected.  Months later, her body turns up in a San Francisco harbor.

Laci Peterson?  Wrong.  Her name is Evelyn Hernandez.

A young attractive woman from the South goes missing.

Natalee Holloway?  Nope.  Her name is Tamika Huston.

Never heard of Evelyn Hernandez and Tamika Huston?  Of course not.  They’re people of color.  As a result, they don’t get the press attention that missing white women receive.  And in “missing persons” situations, widespread media attention can make the difference between life and death, simply because more people will be on the lookout for you.

According to the second link, Tamika Huston’s parents hired a press agent to get the story of their missing daughter out.  And while they made inroads with the local South Carolina press, it barely caused a blip on the national media radar.

Is this racism?  You bet.  Granted, it’s not sheet-wearing spit-on-you kind of racism, but most racism today isn’t that blatent.  It’s the subtle suggestion, often subconscious, that one race is superior—or merits more attention—than others.  A sad commentary on our times.