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Fight, Empower, Mobilize
The Jelani Day Foundation (JDF) is at the forefront of the fight for change and equity to ensure families of color have the help and momentum needed during the search for their missing loved ones. Our focus is to ensure families have the dignity and respect that should be afforded to every human, regardless of race. The JDF provides financial, emotional, and professional resources for families of color in their critical, time-sensitive plight to reunite with their missing loved ones. Nothing can eliminate the pain of receiving the horrifying, life-changing news of a missing loved one; however, JDF plans to bridge the gap of disparity for those at-risk of systemic racial bias and discrimination during the process of their search.
In 2020, around 36% of people reported missing in the US were Black, even though Black Americans made up just 13% of the population. Despite the extent of the issue, communities of color often struggle to get their loved ones classified as "missing."
In Honor of Jelani
Jelani Day was a 25-year-old graduate of Alabama A&M University who aspired to become a doctor and was pursuing a master’s degree in speech pathology at Illinois State University.
He was reported missing by his family on August 25, 2021. The family filed a missing person’s report after not being able to reach him for two days.
After Jelani was reported missing, Bloomington Police located video surveillance of him entering a retail store on August 24, 2021 and found his car in a heavily wooded area at the Illinois Valley YMCA on August 26, 2021 with the same clothes he was last seen wearing left inside the vehicle.
