When I read about the recent kidnapping of 5-year-old Hasanni Campbell, my heart skipped a beat. The boy is as cute as a button and reminds me of the son I lost many years ago. The thought of a child's innocence being breached in any way is unbearable and leads to eternal pain for those connected. Hasanni was allegedly kidnapped in Oakland, Calif., near the back door of the store where the fiancee of his foster father works.

Oakland police are investigating the kidnapping as we speak. I admit that I don't have much respect for the Oakland Police Department after seeing the way it handled the shooting of Oscar Grant and the Beauty Salon beating that was taped and distributed on Youtube. It is my hope that the department will be able to handle this case better than it has handled other high-profile ordeals.

The kidnapping of little Hasanni left me with these piercing questions:

1) What would Nancy Grace think? I'd hate to sound cynical, but I must confess that I wonder if Hasanni's eyes are blue enough for Nancy Grace to care that he was abducted. Although black children are three times more likely to be killed than white children, one can't help but wonder if some members of the media don't consider Hasanni's face to be as "camera ready" as Jonbenet Ramsey's (the little girl whose case took over the airwaves for years). But perhaps Nancy will prove me wrong. I certainly hope so.

2) How much do we care about black children as a nation? Did you know that more than one child is murdered in Chicago every week? Father Michael Pfleger has flown the flag outside his church upside down for months, and Rev. Marcia Dyson has gone on a hunger strike to call attention to the alarming number of child murders in Chicago this year. The sad fact is that no one is listening, but we've got to open our ears.

3) What to make of Hasanni's foster parents? According to several media sources, the child's foster mother refused to take a lie detector test, and his father won't discuss the results of his test with the public. Additionally, the family has retained civil rights attorney John Burris. This doesn't mean that the family is guilty, but it makes us all wonder what's going on. But of course, this is not to say that any of us know whether the parents are involved in Hasanni's disappearance.

If we don't care about our children, no one will. We must also remember that Hasanni is not the only African American child who is suffering. There are thousands of children in psychological and physical pain who don't make the media cycle. If you see child abuse of any type, please don't hesitate to call Child Protective Services. We've got to give voices to our youth.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a distinguished scholar with the Barbara Jordan Institute for Policy Research at Texas Southern University. To have Dr. Boyce's commentary delivered directly to your e-mail, please click here.