If Natalee Holloway Was Black

A few years ago, my wife and I became addicted to the Laci Peterson Murder Trial. Thanks to Nancy Grace, our lives at 7:00 each night revolved around watching her show, to see what the latest updates were in that case. Now fast forward another year or so. The same patterns of behavior came swooping back when Natalee Holloway went missing in Aruba. Another few months of our infatuation with her story. As the anniversary of Natalee’s disappearance draws near, I’m reminded of something hauntingly true about our society – which begs this question.

What if Natalee Holloway was black?

Or Laci Peterson. Or Lori Hacking. Or Linda Sobek. Or any of the other beautiful, young caucasian women who were brutally murdered. Would their faces have been imprinted on every television screen all over the United States if they were black? When was the last time you saw a high profile murder of a black woman splattered all over Court TV, CNN or Fox News?

Still waiting for your answer.

Maybe you’ll find one on the last page of your local newspaper. I guarantee that at least one of the thousands of black women who are murdered each year might have a sentence or two written about them somewhere. The bottom line is that in our society, sex sells. Regardless of the price that unfortunate families like the Rochas or the Holloways have to pay for our viewing pleasure.