An Exclusive Interview with Shana McCalla: Confronting the Crisis of Missing Black Youth in Ontario

In an exclusive interview with Shana McCalla, founder of Find Ontario Missing Boys, we confront the urgent and ongoing crisis of missing Black youth in Ontario, a crisis too often overlooked, underreported, and misunderstood.

Shana has dedicated her life to uncovering the hidden stories behind the faces on missing persons posters. Her organization, Find Ontario Missing Boys, was born from both frustration and heartbreak, a response to the stark disparities in how missing Black children and teens are treated compared to their non-Black counterparts.

According to Shana, the issue is not just about individual disappearances, but about a structural neglect that allows certain communities to suffer in silence. She points to cases where families have struggled to get police attention, or where missing persons reports were dismissed as simple “runaway” situations.

Shana and her small team often visit what she calls “red zones”, neighborhood’s and areas where vulnerability runs high and disappearances are most frequent. These zones, marked by poverty, systemic neglect, and community trauma, are where the patterns become painfully clear.

Through partnerships with grassroots organizations, Find Ontario Missing Boys has been building bridges between families, community advocates, and investigative journalists. The goal is not only to raise awareness but to pressure local authorities to treat every missing person’s case with the same urgency regardless of race or background.

One of Shana’s most powerful tools is visibility. By amplifying the stories of missing youth on social media, she has sparked new leads and mobilized public attention.

Her advocacy has also led to new collaborations with media outlets willing to challenge biased reporting.

The work, however, is far from done. Shana emphasizes that systemic change will require accountability at every level, from police departments to policymakers, from schools to newsrooms.

Her message is both urgent and hopeful: that by confronting uncomfortable truths, Ontario can build a future where no child’s disappearance goes unnoticed.

Watch the interview:

https://www.youtube.com/live/jPvVj9anyow?si=dCPaN04AysgUIBhK