Actress Erika Alexander Advocates for Black and Missing Women in ‘Finding Tamika’

Actress and Activist, Erika Alexander searches for Tamika Huston in the Audible Original “Finding Tamika.”  Black girls and women disappear every day, but not without a trace. Tamika Huston was a 25-year-old Black woman from Spartanburg, SC who went missing in 2004. Her case became a rallying cry for other missing Black women in America and led to a growing demand to expose a system that ignores missing girls and women of color.

In “Finding Tamika,” Erika Alexander summons a new generation to help raise the dead, expose a hidden past, and give a dark warning for our future. According to the Black and Missing Foundation, 40% of missing persons are people of color. The founders of the Black and Missing Foundation were called to action after hearing about Tamika Huston’s story. Publicists and Black and Missing Foundation Co-Founder, Natalie Wilson said, “At the time of Tamika’s case, we had no magnitude of the issue and how lopsided the media coverage was,” Wilson said. “Thirty percent of persons missing were of color, yet only received 7% of media coverage.

Tamika Huston went missing with little to no media coverage in spite of her aunt’s Rebekah Howard media connections as a publicist. It was not until the story caught the attention of Black journalist; Tiffany Cross who worked at America’s Most Wanted at the time. Cross pursued the story and eventually, Huston’s story received national attention on America’s Most Wanted and Dateline. Clues poured in eventually leading them to Christopher Hampton who admitted to decapitating the body and burying her remains.

Hosted, produced, and co-written by Erika Alexander, “Finding Tamika” tells Huston’s story through the voices of her family and key figures in the case. The Chicago Defender spoke with Erika Alexander about “Finding Tamika,” the lack of media coverage when it comes to Black and missing women, and the importance of Black media in helping to tell these stories and get them out to the public.

“Finding Tamika” is available on Audible and is executive produced by Kevin Hart and Charlamagne Tha God’s SBH productions.