Author Talk: Cheryl Neely and Tana Jenkins on Black Female Crime Victims

The Author Series Committee at the Detroit Public Library welcomes Cheryl L. Neely for an important discussion about her book, No Human Involved: The Serial Murder of Black Women and Girls and the Deadly Cost of Police Indifference (Beacon Press, 2025). When Black women and girls are targeted and murdered their cases are often categorized by police officers as “N.H.I.” — “No Humans Involved.” Dehumanized and invisible to the public eye, they are rarely seen as victims. In the United States, Black women are killed at a higher rate than any other group of women, but their victimhood is not covered by the media and their cases do not receive an adequate level of urgency.

Utilizing intensive historical research of cases in cities such as Boston, Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, and Los Angles, Cheryl Neely calls attention to serial cases of Black female murder victims and a lack of police action. Neely approaches each case and story with detailed care. Instead of focusing solely on the killings and the murderers, she highlights the lives of the women and girls and their communities that never stopped fighting for justice. With media neglect and police indifference, Neely argues that because law enforcement is less likely to conduct serious investigations into the disappearances and homicides of Black women, they are particularly vulnerable to become victims.

Diving deep into the unseen and unheard, Neely uses personal interviews, court records, media reports, and analytical data to understand how and why Black women are disproportionately more likely to die from homicide in comparison to their white counterpoints. Sounding an urgent alarm, No Human Involved contends that it is time for Black women’s lives to matter not only to their families and communities, but especially to those commissioned to protect them.

Joining Cheryl in conversation is author and former high-profile criminal defense attorney Tana Jenkins.

Copies of No Human Involved will be available for purchase from The Book Beat!

About Cheryl: Cheryl L. Neely holds a B.A., M.A., and PhD in Sociology from Wayne State University. She has been a full-time instructor at Oakland Community College in Royal Oak, Michigan for the past 20 years and has taught a variety of sociology courses at the college including the Sociology of Aging, Criminology, Social Problems, Race and Ethnicity, Mass Media in Society, and the Introduction to Sociology. In 2015, she authored a book based on her PhD dissertation topic titled You’re Dead, So What? Media, Police, and the Invisibility of Black Women as Victims of Homicide (Michigan State University Press, 2015.) which examines the lack of media coverage and aggressive police investigations in the cases of violent deaths of Black women compared to their White counterparts. The book won Gold Medal for Social Science/Political Science/Culture at the 2015 Midwest Book Awards in St. Paul, MN. Her most recent book is No Human Involved: The Serial Murder of Black Women and Girls and the Deadly Cost of Police Indifference published by Beacon Press in January of 2025.

About Tana: Barnes & Noble and Amazon bestselling author Tana Jenkins writes sweet and paranormal romances that celebrate the magic of love, diverse heroines, and gentle social-justice themes. Her work has been honored with the 2022 RSJ Debut Author of the Year Award, a Pushcart nomination, recognition as an RWA OTFS finalist, and an EMMA Award for Clean & Sweet Romance.

Before becoming an author, Tana worked as a criminal defense attorney on several high-profile cases, served on the New Jersey Supreme Court Criminal Practice Committee, and helped shape landmark criminal-justice reform. She is also a TEDx speaker.

This is NOT a ticketed event, meaning seating is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please register in order to receive important reminders about Cheryl's visit. Questions? Email msummers@detroitpubliclibrary.org!