White women get rescued, Black women get remembered

Kaleena Burkes is the Director of the Minnesota Office of Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls. She joins us on the Sheletta Show today to talk about an important upcoming event for the MMBWG. The office was started in 2019 and is the first of its kind in the nation. Sheletta asks what her office does and Kaleena explains what support and resources to people in need. Sheletta talks about how Whiteness impacts who we look for and help. Kaleena speaks to the disparity and the additional violence and adversities that Black women and girls experience. In their second segment, Sheletta and Kaleena discuss the MMBWG’s upcoming event on the Hill. Sheletta asks what Kaleena has heard from families who have been impacted or lost loved ones. Kaleena speaks about the importance of believing victims, some of whom who have been telling their stories for decades. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office for Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls (MMBWG) was established to reduce and end the systemic neglect and violence faced by Black women and girls in Minnesota. The office is housed in the Office of Justice Programs. 2026 Office for Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls Day on the Hill Monday, April 13th 2026 Time: 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Location:75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. St. Paul MN 55155 https://dps.mn.gov/events/ojp/2026-04-13/2026-office-missing-and-murdered-black-women-and-girls-day-hill