“It has been a whole year of agony for the relatives of the missing 219 Chibok girls. There have been a few sightings of some of the abducted students but very little official information from a government that has long promised to rescue them from the clutches of Boko Haram.”

This incident eats me up inside. I feel so helpless, as do most readers who are following this story. What can we do from such a distance? For starters, we can keep the story alive by sharing it and sharing our outrage. Secondly, make sure that your outrage is coming from a place of: “I Goddam well know that we have the resources to have gotten them back by now.” Because, the truth is, we do.

The United States, China and other great powers promised their help in finding the girls. What has the help netted the families of the victims? Nothing. You can surely bet that the crux of that lackadaisical effort is racism. Would the same slow reaction have occurred if this took place in Denmark? Canada? If the girls were white? Yes, China promised to help, but do they care that a group of young African girls were taken and married off? China has innumerable human rights violations under its belt. They do not regard female children with the same respect as male children. They have historically regarded themselves as superior to other races, despite colonialism by Europe and Japan. As for the other powerful nations, well they’re white nations and we know what that nets people of color who need help.

It breaks my heart that these girls have been taken, most certainly sexually abused, forced into slavery, marriage and into a faith that disregards their humanity. Keep this story alive. Imagine if you were their mother or father…Express your outrage. Write to someone who can push with the campaign to bring back the 296 Chibok Girls to their families. They’re human. They’re suffering. They need us now.

Nigeria Abductions: Chibok Girls Remembered One Year On – BBC News