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Human Trafficking: Pathways to Prevention

Recently, we participated in this online meeting. Here's everything we received! Hope it's useful for you.

Friends,
 
Thank you for your interest in Human Trafficking: Pathways to Prevention. This event was co-led by the HHS Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships (HHS Partnership Center) and the Office of Trafficking in Persons within the Administration for Children and Families (contact info below). Our audience spanned across many States throughout our nation!
 
You can view the recording online if you would like to re-watch the event or if you missed joining us. 
There were no slides used during the presentation. 
 
As mentioned on the call, we would like to express our deep appreciation to all our presenters and speakers on the event. These included:
  • Katherine Chon
  • Dr. Brook Bello
  • Dr. Coralanne Griffith-Hunte
  • Sandra Maria Anderson
If you are a faith-based or nonprofit entity and have been providing services in your community similar to those described on our call, we would love to hear your stories! If you have a stories, please send them to us at [email protected].
 
AND REFERENCES:
  • There is a an open request for public comment seeking input, information, and recommendations from a broad array of stakeholders in the public, private, advocacy, not-for-profit, and philanthropic sectors, including state, local, tribal, and territorial areas, on available methods, approaches, and tools to apply a racial equity lens to Federal government anti-trafficking efforts.
  • The Coming Home App and VREVAL.com were also discussed in the webinar.
PRESENTERS CONTACT INFORMATION:
 
Rev. Dr. Que EnglishDirector
HHS Partnerships Center
202.260.6501
 
Katherine Chon
Follow OTIP on LinkedIn
Subscribe to the OTIP Newsletter
 
Dr. Brook Bello
 
Dr. Coralanne Griffith-Hunte
 
Sandra Maria Anderson
Phone: 561-584-2051
       
Please note this webinar has been presented for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement by HHS.
 
Sincerely, 
Your HHS Partnership Center Team

Audio Transcript

 
  • 00:00:22Thanks for everyone being here this is human trafficking, the pathways to prevention i'll now turn the broadcast over to Reverend Dr Q English better English.
  • 00:00:34Good afternoon, so happy to have everyone here today i'm actually going to have our representative from ACF Catherine john to start us out.
  • 00:00:44Alright, good afternoon good morning Thank you everyone for joining my name is Catherine Sean i'm the director of the office on located within the administration for children and families.
  • 00:00:57Here at the Department of Health and human services, it is a pleasure to be a supportive partner to the partnership Center for the event today.
  • 00:01:07And just as some context setting hhs along with all the other government agencies we work with we've been very busy implementing.
  • 00:01:18The button Harris administration's executive order on advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities through the federal government.
  • 00:01:28That includes individuals impacted individuals, families and communities impacted by human trafficking, and I wanted to make a special note that there is a current.
  • 00:01:40open for or request for public comments on what survivors and Community organizations think the federal government can do to support to better support and respond to the issue of human trafficking.
  • 00:01:55we'll put that in the chat and the deadline for public comment is march 15 so as some additional context to why.
  • 00:02:04today's session is important to us, you know we've been doing a lot of work internally within the hhs office on trafficking in persons on racial equity.
  • 00:02:13Last year we went through some significant training for staff and have funded training and coaching sessions for grant recipients working every day on this issue.
  • 00:02:25And one of the comments that we've been hearing from the training and coaching sessions.
  • 00:02:32Is that faith or individuals working within faith based settings have been having a really difficult time talking and discussing racial equity.
  • 00:02:43issues within their organizations, so when I picked up the phone and reached out to Dr English at the partnership Center and express some of these challenges on the ground.
  • 00:02:54She was the first to say all right let's do something about it let's bring experts together and have this conversation and So here we are, as we close out black history month.
  • 00:03:08We wanted to support the partnership centers efforts of spotlighting the critical work of and leadership of black women in the anti trafficking space and i'll turn it over to Dr English, but I just want to introduce you.
  • 00:03:25First, for anyone who doesn't know her, she is a public servant she is a scholar, she is a Community organizer and leader Reverend Dr Q English is not only both prior to joining the.
  • 00:03:40Department of Health and human services as the director of the partnership Center she was a deputy director of faith based initiatives for the governor's office.
  • 00:03:49of faith and Community development services in the State of New York, she is also the founder and past President of not on my watch a.
  • 00:03:59Community organization forum to combat human trafficking and domestic violence through education training in Community and policy advocacy.
  • 00:04:09Dr English received her master's and doctoral doctorate degrees from the New York theological seminary where she was the recipient of the excellence in ministry award so with that Dr English I turn it over to you for the programming.
  • 00:04:26Thank you so much, Catherine Thank you and thank you ACF for your partnership, I applaud you for your shirt every word around human trafficking and focusing on prevention.
  • 00:04:37Within today's conversation, and thank you for this space today and, as we honor, as you say, the last day of black history month we are looking forward to this conversation.
  • 00:04:46With three extraordinary individuals we have Dr Carl and hunt Dr bellow and Sandra Maria Anderson I am at this time, going to ask them to take a minute to introduce themselves to the audience, beginning with Dr hunt, followed by Dr bellow and then Sandra Maria and just.
  • 00:05:08For me.
  • 00:05:08is good afternoon everyone Thank you so much, Dr Q it's always a pleasure to be amongst you and anything that you do.
  • 00:05:19My name is Dr Carla and Griffith had, and I am a human industrial and trauma psychologists senior advisor to Members at the and the Geneva Center on trauma and trafficking person.
  • 00:05:34And so it is indeed a pleasure to be here, be a part of this courageous conversation, thank you for honoring me with this opportunity.
  • 00:05:47Well, good afternoon, thank you, Dr Q, the partnership Center Thank you Catherine, and everyone here i'm good to meet you Dr hon i'm excited to hear everything you have to share today and good to be with you Sandra I am Dr bello.
  • 00:06:01I went to seminary so my doctorate comes from seminary my dissertation really focused on spirituality and connection with psychology and i'm the founder and CEO of more to life and anti trafficking organization in the state of Florida this been providing services for victims and also.
  • 00:06:19Traffickers post incarceration for over 18 years now.
  • 00:06:26Good afternoon, everyone, my name is Sandra Anderson and it is a joy and a privilege to be here with you, thank you, Dr Q.
  • 00:06:36Thank you everyone for having me, my name is Sandra Anderson I am the CEO of love gardens ministries, I am also a survivor of here in the state of Florida.
  • 00:06:49And right now i'm finishing my dissertation at liberty University in transgenerational trauma and so that degree, is a community care and counseling marriage and family therapy and i'm serving in that.
  • 00:07:03And that in that arena here in the state of Florida, as I speak in my office so i'm so grateful to be here with you and to share with this very prestigious group, thank you.
  • 00:07:16Thank you all, and I do want the audience, to know that you are talking to survivors beyond survivors.
  • 00:07:24audience here, as well as experts and i'm just honored to to be in each in each of your presence, I want to stop my conversation with you Sandra.
  • 00:07:33you've experienced the system, the justice system and others the criminal justice system that is tell us your observations as a bike traffic victim and your views over the years, as it relates to pitfalls gaps in care, etc.
  • 00:07:56So my observation, Dr Q is very different, as an adult than it was as a child, I was at 11 year old going through trafficking, and so my observation at that time was very much.
  • 00:08:11From the frying pan to the fire, I felt we victimized after I was picked up by.
  • 00:08:17broward sheriff's office in Fort lauderdale Florida, and there was so many opportunities to redirect up already traumatized life and those opportunities never presented.
  • 00:08:30themselves to me one of those opportunities being trauma informed counseling and we know now taking.
  • 00:08:36survivors out of trafficking requires a second rescue I did not get that second rescue and from my trauma informed lens today finishing up my doctorate degree in trauma technology, I can tell you right now, all the places that was missing one being.
  • 00:08:56Social the social determinants so as an African American young girl, I was seeing differently, and I will, I believe I was treated differently, as we know, that's very prevalent in our society today.
  • 00:09:09And so I was re victimized place in the department of children and families.
  • 00:09:14And before they knew I was just 12 years old, because, by the time I was rescued I was 12 years old and place in juvenile detention Center, and so I did not get that warmth that compassion.
  • 00:09:29And so it just costs and just an implosion of anger and it just was egregious and so today, I can tell you, starting restart to restore i've implemented all those things, and my methodology that I saw was missing in my own lived experience through human trafficking, thank you, Dr Q.
  • 00:09:53Thank you Sandra would you like to add to that Dr bello.
  • 00:09:58I am.
  • 00:10:00I should say that I am a survivor of human trafficking, Dr Q knows that sometimes I struggle with that word, the reason is because, being a black woman there's this stigma.
  • 00:10:10of prostitution of over sexualization and within our culture, not just here but around the world, and Africa in Germany and Amsterdam, and so.
  • 00:10:21I love the term beyond survivor For that reason, I went to the doctor's office and when my doctor my male doctor my family practitioner found out that I.
  • 00:10:32was a survivor he said Oh, you were a prostitute right wow there's a lot of prostitution, and so there are reasons why we are the way we are, and some of the conversation will be having today.
  • 00:10:46And so, when when Sandra talked about what she implements and why it's important and what she didn't get because she was black.
  • 00:10:54there's some data that i'm going to share today, but right now i'm just going to talk about juvenile data in Florida just two points.
  • 00:11:02And so, in the state of Florida, although black girls account for just 24% of the population in the state of they make up 49% of school suspensions.
  • 00:11:13They make up 49% of civil citations should be civic tech citations but they're not arrest are 45%.
  • 00:11:21And and 55% of girls under 12 incarceration 47% and then girls transfer charges into adult criminal justice system 51% and the high propensity while in school, and so this is issue thats related around exactly what Sandra was talking about and we're talking girls aged 10 to 17.
  • 00:11:47Those up quite alarming stats if I can turn it over to you, Dr haunt you heard sondra talk about.
  • 00:11:56The lack of trauma informed care, particularly as a child of color can you speak more that trauma informed care is i've had conversations with several of you in the past have sort of become a quote unquote buzzword.
  • 00:12:13And I think there are some myths around that that needs to be dispelled, and that you have shared, can you approach.
  • 00:12:21That conversation at this time regarding trauma informed care.
  • 00:12:25Absolutely, I think you know that when we're speaking about trauma informed care.
  • 00:12:31people tend to just say all they they look at it at the lens of it just being some emotional or physical.
  • 00:12:40You know trauma that someone experiences, but I want us to, and I know that a lot of us have heard Dr perry's definition of trauma so let's let's look at the context of what some people think trauma is they go along with just a psychological you know fer.
  • 00:13:00hopelessness and helplessness, but what I want us to to really hone in on is trauma can be described as a highly activated incomplete biological response to threat that is stuck in time.
  • 00:13:18And so, when we start to see that you have to look at the fact that trauma involves your five senses.
  • 00:13:28trauma involves understanding how the physiologically psychologically biologically and spiritually affects a person.
  • 00:13:39We tend to only look at you know, maybe one or two areas of it, but we have to look at it in its totality.
  • 00:13:47It alters the the effect and the impulses it alters consciousness it causes the individual to see themselves with a different perception it alters relationship and trusting so you cannot say that your trauma informed if you don't have an understanding of how the brain.
  • 00:14:06operates.
  • 00:14:07you're not trauma informed if you're not culturally informed and so to use it as a buzzword but not be able to implement.
  • 00:14:16The necessary strategies in order to help a person navigate I want us to think about you know trauma being a process and so it's not so much that trauma informed care is about destination.
  • 00:14:31As it is about the process to drive to where we are seeking for individuals to go because complex trauma has heard.
  • 00:14:41Complex trauma is is when you have various types of trauma that is involved, and so, when we're looking from that lens it's important for us to look at.
  • 00:14:54Not a pathogenic way of looking at trump a pathogenic way of looking at trauma and mental health is sick or not said.
  • 00:15:03If you're bleeding and I stop you from bleeding.
  • 00:15:06If you're in pain and I stopped them from being in pain needs a chair of it, that is not it, because what we've done is we treated symptoms we've treated the fruit, but never really got to the root.
  • 00:15:16So if you're not so, so my answer is to say if you're not implementing those things and you're not trauma informed you have to make sure that you're taking them through the process with out concentrating just on the death, the destination, because complex trauma has upper.
  • 00:15:36Thank you, Dr hunt, you know to that point Sandra you had mentioned.
  • 00:15:41The statement the invisibility of black woman and, as I hear about Dr hunts statement you're not trauma informed if you're not culturally informed, can you tie those two statements in.
  • 00:15:57The absence so African American women and particularly have been left out of.
  • 00:16:03A lot of the research, especially, especially when it comes to trauma informed care, and we know now that trauma is held in the body.
  • 00:16:12it's held in the very nervous system and a central nervous nervous system and Dr bellows said it just absolutely phenomenal and I wanted to write it down Dr bellow when you were speaking, but I need a tape recorder, because everything that you said and Dr hunt also underscored is.
  • 00:16:33What we're dealing with here, first of all we're dealing with complex entrenched trauma, because when I go through trafficking when I went through trafficking that was not my first wound it wasn't my first aces or adverse childhood experience that happened in my family system.
  • 00:16:51And so we understand that trafficking is nothing new trafficking happened from the transatlantic slave trade, when we were bought from our country to this country and I think we almost act as if nothing ever happened in that regard and that's why the lack of preparation has been so.
  • 00:17:11it's lacking to this very day and it's so needed to this very day, because we have to ingest address the entrenched trauma neurologically psychologically physiologically we have been so impacted.
  • 00:17:26By what we act as if nothing ever happened, and so what I do is I try to put it, where.
  • 00:17:33Everyone who's under the sound of my voice can understand it, and I wanted to imagine very quickly if a bug came in your House or a reptile or a spider whatever you're scared of whatever will make you stop eating dinner with your family and you saw.
  • 00:17:48All of the above, by the way.
  • 00:17:51scurry under the door right, it can fit a reptile a spider whatever it is for you and you see it come in, you will stop cooking reading a watching TV planning.
  • 00:18:03If you have a romantic night planned with your partner that ends to until when until we get that bug out of the House.
  • 00:18:12But what happens when it gets in the House, and it goes missing.
  • 00:18:16Are you going to rest, are you going to sleep, knowing that thing that boat That gives you that phobia are you going to sleep knowing that's in your home.
  • 00:18:24Absolutely not and if you can't find it you're not going to find rest you're going to find dis.
  • 00:18:31Ease you're going to not feel at ease within you until you find it and get it out of the House, but in this Community that we're speaking to and what Dr hunt spoke about culturally competent care.
  • 00:18:45Culturally responsive care and culturally human humility and this trauma informed framework which we're speaking about today, we must be able to understand that the bugs in our House.
  • 00:18:58The things that scurried under our door has been there for a long time, and the House that i'm speaking now is not a House of brick and mortar i'm talking about the House of the body.
  • 00:19:08The mind and the spirit and until we understand how to get those bugs out that we've normalized we've normalized dysfunction in the African American Community and what that looked like in my life was addiction.
  • 00:19:22Every social determinants of health, including HIV and domestic violence and all the other bugs, if you will, that comes along and scurries under our door in our home in our body, where we no longer feel safe.
  • 00:19:37We no longer know how to navigate in our world because we're in this place of dysfunction and and we don't know what normality even looks like anymore.
  • 00:19:49And i'll stop there, and.
  • 00:19:50My out in our as Dr bellows doctor to come on into that that conversation right there because I see, I see that you may have something to add to that and I would love to hear.
  • 00:20:05So thank you i'll go.
  • 00:20:08So while you were speaking I was really intently listening and looking at your faces, I want to say that the the first points of data that I they share or from the Dolores bar Weaver policy Center so it's important to give them credit for that research.
  • 00:20:24i'm considered biracial and and what that means is i'm 59% African American from all over Africa the rest of Europe.
  • 00:20:35But the part that European is really intrinsic into a different type of chattel slavery.
  • 00:20:42A different type of rape and a different type of acceptance of that rape, even after that, in my life when it comes to power moore's rights post slavery.
  • 00:20:51And so, when we look at young black kids and we look at white kids in terms of human trafficking, we assume that the the buzzword of having empathy.
  • 00:21:01means that being empathetic to everyone, just as Dr hon said, has to include the understanding of what I call the language of cultures, for each individualized person.
  • 00:21:12individually, we see things differently, but culturally black and white even latinx and Asian very vastly different cultures and the treatment in America today is not really centered on the sensitivity of that.
  • 00:21:29The opposite victims of crime, who I love and many of you listening today are intelligent you understand the data but we're given context and pointed to data to what is happening on the ground.
  • 00:21:40And so, if you have grants that are precipitated around cultural languages to limit cultural bias it's based on language.
  • 00:21:49Chinese Mandarin Haitian Creole whatever it is, we have to have all that here, but it's not based on the subcultures and cultures within necessarily the Latin American Community or the black cultural community.
  • 00:22:03And I want to say that my mother was a victim of a different type of violence.
  • 00:22:08What happened in our home state in our home it's still the same way today black people are just now feeling somewhat comfortable with acquiescing to therapy on some level.
  • 00:22:19we're just now feeling safe enough to open up just a little bit about the pain and the shame and coming to some type of conclusion.
  • 00:22:28about the transgenerational trauma that we've suffered and how it's affecting our everyday lives, and we still experiencing, it every day.
  • 00:22:35And so trauma informed, care must be applied, and it must be culturally applied based on the cultures and subcultures within every demographic in our nation and i'll stop there.
  • 00:22:50Thank you all, I do know that Dr hunt would probably want to chime in a bit on that as we looking at the language of culture we're talking about cultural bias cultural competence cultural humility.
  • 00:23:06Can we expand a little bit more on what cultural cultural humility look like.
  • 00:23:14Any one of you that want to talk about.
  • 00:23:17Oh, I think i'll start with that and basically it's the ability to be teachable how many of our practitioners and clinician clinicians.
  • 00:23:26Are teachable and are willing to engage are willing to unlearn because we have to unlearn before we can really relearn and I will go to Dr hunter from there.
  • 00:23:38I so appreciate what you just said, first, I appreciate that question next few and Sandra you're so right, you know.
  • 00:23:46I have taken about I would say the last five years, five to six years, and all I have really been doing, was to reteach.
  • 00:23:59Help clinicians to unlearn what they have learned.
  • 00:24:03Because it's so necessary and I will go back to that framework that I mentioned about that pathogenic framework where you're either sick or you're not sick and you're looking for symptoms, because what happens is that pathogenic model is binary.
  • 00:24:23And, and it gives you just those two choices either the person is sick when a person is not sick.
  • 00:24:28But what we need to implement is also relational you seen Brian nary is not relational effort going to treat anyone.
  • 00:24:39On this journey to their wholeness, we have to be relational because understanding culture means understanding that for some individuals they were raised, not even knowing that they were being tracked.
  • 00:24:56Because it was a cultural practice and so to say to that person well what was being done to you is incorrect, they have no understanding of that.
  • 00:25:10And so it's it's the understanding for the condition to know, not just the condition, but also the understanding of the justice system to know.
  • 00:25:22The understanding of the educational system to know that culture is so essential because that's where we get our belief system.
  • 00:25:32that's where we function under our worldview, and so, if we don't have an understanding of that treatment will be very difficult.
  • 00:25:41It would be very difficult, because you have to understand that we were created a relationship.
  • 00:25:47We are loved in relationship, but we are harmed and and be are hurt and relationship and that relationship does not always mean the person that didn't know me.
  • 00:25:58right that relationship could mean that my mom have put me into trafficking or sex trafficking my brother my cousin you know the.
  • 00:26:09Faith leader, the the business that the CEO you know the Community based organization leader has this how about the social worker right the individual who.
  • 00:26:24I was placed in their home in foster care have put me into trafficking, I was raised in this culture not to see anything wrong with it.
  • 00:26:33Up depending on what age I you know i've came into this so having an understanding that because it's not you know binary but relational.
  • 00:26:45All of those individuals in that space, the stakeholders have to understand what role culture plays and can be also mentioned religion.
  • 00:26:56Now that's part of who I am so though I may, I was placed into traffic and it does not mean that I have subtracted from my religious beliefs so having an understanding, now that mentally I feel I can't even go to my higher power because i've shaved my by.
  • 00:27:15My body my body is now not not you know clean anymore, so when we're looking at the the cultural perspective, all of those things have to be included, and all of those key players have to really learn.
  • 00:27:34What their understanding of for trauma what their understanding is an individual don't just lump all minorities right.
  • 00:27:46Good.
  • 00:27:47The Caribbean American sees things differently than the African American.
  • 00:27:54And so it's about having those external conversations as well that interconnect because we all are, is very essential.
  • 00:28:04darker can I add, briefly, to that.
  • 00:28:06Absolutely, Dr bellows.
  • 00:28:08So what Sandra and Dr hon said.
  • 00:28:13or so the data states that that schools are a gateway.
  • 00:28:19To the justice system, which leads to a precipitation of longer incarceration for black girls now we're talking about black girls, we have to talk about black and brown girls i'm not even mentioning the data.
  • 00:28:32For other minorities.
  • 00:28:34Okay, or those that consider themselves Hispanic not white Hispanic but identify has Hispanic but look black are black are from Africa, but instead of themselves Hispanic so check off on the census is often Hispanic not black.
  • 00:28:52On their new sentences that say white Hispanic and black Hispanic, which to me is unusual, but those are newer.
  • 00:29:02But, but what they're saying is this when a black girl is traffic when she is rate when she goes through the root causes before even being manipulated into being sold and resold there's already something within her cellular memory.
  • 00:29:21That says this is normal, this is.
  • 00:29:24This has happened before, this is.
  • 00:29:27This is making me angry and so you come across black girls that are victims, sometimes they are much more angry.
  • 00:29:34Much more violent and sometimes if you don't have the empathetic language of cultural cultural understanding a diversity, you will treat them like criminals.
  • 00:29:44And and be dealing with that and not the fact that that raging anger and violence is just the sign of the profound connection to brokenness and their lack of understanding, because no one has ever let them talk about it in their histrionics.
  • 00:30:02wow that's powerful understanding don't have the empathetic language.
  • 00:30:09Cultural language and understanding diversity we can cause more harm than good, as service providers is what i'm hearing is that what you're saying.
  • 00:30:18I would love to add to that.
  • 00:30:19Please do.
  • 00:30:21So, Dr below just literally spoke my my entire dissertation my autobiography that I wrote it 2016 as an African American girl that felt so invisible going through trafficking and then, when we have when we feel powerless we turn it we internalize that and.
  • 00:30:38And everything that has been said, is so powerful and I think I just need to make one small note we're not taking away pain from humanity and just placing it on the black body what what we're doing here is trying to help everyone understand equity.
  • 00:30:55And that's what's missing for many years is the equity because we make meaning very differently, just like Dr hunt said, the way we make meaning is based on our.
  • 00:31:05family environment our upbringing and what goes on to this House stays on this House and stop acting like you something's wrong with you, you just want attention.
  • 00:31:15All these constructs all these family dynamics create someone that will navigate their world discounting their pain.
  • 00:31:24Making themselves invisible but internalizing as Dr bellows said, all the anger and what does that look like it, we will implode.
  • 00:31:33And that dysfunctionality we will implode on ourselves, and then, when we go out in the public we'll put on this very.
  • 00:31:40false self this pseudo personality to strong black woman veneer went inside, we need help and that's why we have to increase.
  • 00:31:51Help seeking behaviors in this demographic because everything that Dr hunt and Dr below is saying today is so relevant.
  • 00:32:01It has been relevant over the last 400 years and even though time has changed and loss of change and, yes, even certain aspects of justice when it comes to.
  • 00:32:12The plight of the African American here in America has changed reparations still has been denied and it's it needs to go forth in order for us to bring equity and to stop the hemorrhaging in this demographic that has been so deeply deeply entrenched in transgenerational trauma.
  • 00:32:34let's go further with that statement transgenerational trauma brooke I want you to pick up where sanjay left off.
  • 00:32:48If transgenerational trauma.
  • 00:32:52wasn't, in fact, a fact.
  • 00:33:00We wouldn't see some of the violence and the disproportionate amount of youth and young black woman being incarcerated because, without the trauma informed care because the transgenerational trauma, no one understands what to do.
  • 00:33:17So they despise trajan which trauma define that.
  • 00:33:20For just a recent trauma exactly what I said the cellular memory for neuro transmitters the histrionics in our DNA of trauma that was done to our ancestors my mother.
  • 00:33:34Her mother her father her father her mother his father her mother on to slavery and even post, even before slavery chattel slavery started going all the way back to to the continent of Africa.
  • 00:33:49And so that hasn't been solidified here in the States it's a it's it's the elephant in the room.
  • 00:33:58And, and if, if you look at the numbers and state that black folk are just now feeling comfortable to having just a little bit of theory and still at the lowest end of that.
  • 00:34:09If black women are still the lowest end of the totem pole.
  • 00:34:12And still acquiescing and being told what to do there is this timidity there is this fear there is, I have to do more than everyone else there's this transgenerational trauma that states.
  • 00:34:22I can't fully express myself or i'll look like an angry black woman angry black woman comes from transgenerational trauma because of black woman looking angry years ago.
  • 00:34:31Just like Harriet tubman and and you know with ravishing dogs chasing her and other slaves you bring that into now, and you have black women that are like just as Sandra said, be quiet shut up.
  • 00:34:45you're just a drama Queen.
  • 00:34:48Then happening you grow and if it did happen you happen to me to happen to you mama so.
  • 00:34:51get over it, and so, people are being parented within the construct of transistor trump because their parents have not healed.
  • 00:35:04And I don't care how successful they are I don't care about the monetary demographic, economic status it's not all that these are doctors and lawyers and parents that are highly educated, but still broken.
  • 00:35:19Not just those at the at the poverty level and below there's that to this whole cycle.
  • 00:35:26it's a cycle that we're looking at and it's a cycle that you're educating the listeners on today, and if we can continue that but before we went on to hunt, did you want to add to that.
  • 00:35:37Absolutely.
  • 00:35:38You know, because brooke is.
  • 00:35:43She just she was saying what I was going on in my head when I was was you know, because what we were not understanding and we don't have conversation around how trauma is historical.
  • 00:35:57Right we're not having those conversations, the fact that the mom can transfer her trauma through the placenta we're not having the conversations of the father or the grandfather transforming trauma through semen.
  • 00:36:11into the the lineage of of a family, we don't have those conversations and it's time and I honor you so much for making the time.
  • 00:36:21To have these conversations to speak to intergenerational trauma practices, you know as brooke said, you can be a lawyer, you can be a doctor, you can be whom ever, but if you did not transfer the proper emotional.
  • 00:36:39me don't talk about.
  • 00:36:41Return emotional health tools to the next generation, and so, then the next generation don't know how to handle situations that come to them and then be looked upon as, as you know, oh get over it, you know bite bite it girl don't you let that show you know.
  • 00:37:05Things like oh oh you'll be over it soon.
  • 00:37:10What is that it can be broadly defined that it's like.
  • 00:37:17You never taught me how to deal with much problem.
  • 00:37:20hmm me to show up in this world, as though I am Okay, so my question, then, is how is the African American or the black woman supposed to show up that has been traffic, how is she supposed to show up to the world.
  • 00:37:37Well, this is, this is very powerful and the statement that I think of it, and I say often is that we cannot put an expiration date on another man's trauma.
  • 00:37:48We don't have that right to tell another person when it's time to get up and particularly as we serve in these spaces as service providers, you know as grant tours etc, and how we need to shape.
  • 00:38:06You know our language around this, I want to dive deeper into some of the solutions that we need to look at now as me, we talked about compassion trauma informed care transgenerational trauma the language of culture, the need to be culturally relevant.
  • 00:38:29Culturally competent and embrace cultural humility.
  • 00:38:34Now let's talk about we also talked about the foster care system is the pitfalls and your observations personally Sandra Maria I now want to talk about what could some of these solutions look like we.
  • 00:38:48Based on the amount of time that we have this conversation could be a three part series is I mean just diving into some of these facts i'm learning as well today and i'm sure.
  • 00:38:58Those that are on the line, can share the same thing, but let's start with you, Dr bellows.
  • 00:39:03As we think now more towards the solution and how we can create a better world for children and families of black and brown other race.
  • 00:39:14Can you start out the conversation with some of your ideas and thoughts around this, including some of the ideas you were mentioning about grant shaping up grants, etc.
  • 00:39:24Absolutely, let me start by going over just three bullet points or data points for incarceration of black woman in this nation.
  • 00:39:33And how that's a root cause to trafficking, how many are there because of trafficking juveniles are not being diverted into programs that assist them and so black Americans incarcerated state prisons know the five times the rate of others.
  • 00:39:47Okay, at one one in 81 black adults is serving time in the US prison 26% of women in prison, have been convicted of a drug offense.
  • 00:40:01These black women have a drug offense most likely a substance abuse mental health disorder which.
  • 00:40:11Probably.
  • 00:40:12At a high rate, if you look at the percentile was for sexual violence, trafficking or some other type of trauma.
  • 00:40:18in childhood.
  • 00:40:20Despite making up only 6% of the population black women make up 22% of incarcerated persons mostly for non violent crimes and so when we look at that we look at mothers over half 58% of all US mothers.
  • 00:40:41or prison or prisoners are mothers 80% of women in jail 80% are mothers so let's look at the caretaker issue let's look at kids in foster care looks look at the idea that the diversion.
  • 00:40:55kids in foster care if the high rate of victims of trafficking, have been in the United States foster care system where is the deeper layer
  • 00:41:04Of a therapeutic model that it's, not just in one county like broward with such as health.
  • 00:41:10But a mandate that's in every county we look at what happens when that does what does that mean not getting diversion it means limited access to high level education.
  • 00:41:20Committed programs juvenile justice system and prison do not have high level educational probabilities so potential cannot meet opportunity So what does that mean coming out.
  • 00:41:34hiring homelessness and drug addiction high rates of suicide and mental health issues, and so you have to treat human trafficking as a humanitarian crisis that is predicated upon prevention, prevention, prevention, prevention, those are the four p's right now.
  • 00:41:51Yes.
  • 00:41:52And you have to do that.
  • 00:41:54By having a high rate of diverting from prison into programs and those programs that we said earlier, have to be much better, much greater and the grants and so let's take.
  • 00:42:07Someone who has has has bled out their intelligence to federal agencies and other agencies all over the world, however, many people have done that, but they may not have the understanding of how to write a grant and then, when they get the grant how to really manage it.
  • 00:42:24And so, not just the technical training with grants, but those who have never applied because they're too afraid.
  • 00:42:31There needs to be technical and training.
  • 00:42:33From the US Government to people to know how to apply for federal grant and how to manage it well, that means there needs to be funds given to them just.
  • 00:42:43that's because we're doing this today we're not getting paid to.
  • 00:42:47Do this we're volunteering our time because we care.
  • 00:42:52And so.
  • 00:42:52If you think about the intelligence.
  • 00:42:56younger experts, experts that are coming those after us that need to be developed there right now in the juvenile justice system.
  • 00:43:05they're incarcerated.
  • 00:43:07Because, on the other side of adversity is equal or greater reward and So how do we, how do we revamp reorganize and provide services and grant opportunities to those that we would.
  • 00:43:20likely pass on by walking alongside them, so we have to look at prevention in a greater way.
  • 00:43:25And as before I close i'll talk about technology and access to technology we think about the future of work, you think about briefly i'll say if you're if you're looking to give someone a job.
  • 00:43:38Post incarceration the job they studied in prison won't be there in 10 years when they get out.
  • 00:43:44CVs self checkout that was once one of us.
  • 00:43:48Building furniture working in customer service processes related to two things that 3D and 4d and now 60 printers will do people will be able to do that in their home in five to seven years.
  • 00:44:01So how are we doing a high level of grants related to technical training in technology so that young people, not just learning how to code, because not everyone's going to be good at math.
  • 00:44:11But learning how to do customer service.
  • 00:44:14jobs related around technology and what does the future of work look like for them, and we have to dig deep because we are really behind the curve, in terms of the nonprofit sector as related to technology and i'll probably close with something about that, but i'll leave it there.
  • 00:44:29yeah i'm going to circle back to you because your your company's doing extraordinary work.
  • 00:44:34In this space, and I want you to talk more about that specific APP i'm going to circle back to you, but I think one of the statement you made today was about those that are incarcerated potential cannot meet.
  • 00:44:47Opportunities and that's a powerful statement in itself, knowing that we really do need to not just look at that percentage of who is in prison in being convicted of a drug offense but let's let's let's really do.
  • 00:45:03A look at why why the drug offense what triggered their usage of drugs in the first place, and I think if we start really looking at it from.
  • 00:45:15The full picture of it that will be able to address some of those root causes to address those issues, so thank you for providing that meeting the deeper layer of a therapeutic model that does not currently exist.
  • 00:45:30Sandra Sandra Maria, why not, at this time, talk to us about some of the projects you're working on with your organization that is extraordinary, I want you to present it.
  • 00:45:42So start to restore is a coaching and mentoring.
  • 00:45:47initiative and what I do with that is the same thing that was done with me and so many others that helped me come from such.
  • 00:45:54A dark place in my life, where I was so traumatized by trafficking traumatized by the victimization because when you are taken out of trafficking it's not enough.
  • 00:46:06You need a second rescue how many people do we take out of Pepsi let's go back to what Dr bell was saying how many come out of prison and then go right back so we set up ISM is huge.
  • 00:46:19As a teenager because, when the government had the opportunity to help to really give me the care that I needed give me the second rescue.
  • 00:46:28After the trafficking experience I didn't get that and so what did my life look like pregnant at 13.
  • 00:46:36tried to commit suicide at 15 years old in the back of an ambulance for the first time ever in my life getting my stomach pumped waking up very angry with God that I was even still on this planet.
  • 00:46:47suicidal ideation is very, very real, with so many people and then from there.
  • 00:46:53I continued to be victimized why because neurologically the body remembers the body keeps the score just like Dr bezel abandoned called said in his amazing book.
  • 00:47:05The body, the imprint of trauma stays with you, it doesn't just magically disappear because someone is rescued from from.
  • 00:47:14Trafficking human trafficking and, in my case sex trafficking So what did it look like in my life, drug addiction X 16 years old and like Dr bellows said.
  • 00:47:26i'm a felon at the age of 17 years old arrested in a national drug testing on TV for buying crack cocaine, so now, even at 55 years old, with four degrees finishing my dissertation in my doctorate this semester that Belen still with me, but why was I ever i'm.
  • 00:47:52a drug addict, why was I ever tried to numb myself so much and escape so far away from me because of that trauma bug that was in my house that I had no point of reference, I had no understanding, I could even make meaning of my own behavior.
  • 00:48:09And no one could help me make meaning of that behavior.
  • 00:48:14And to finish up this whole scenario of my life, it drove me to addiction it drove me these underlying drivers drove me to destroy my own life, no one wants to be an addict.
  • 00:48:27No one wants to die before their time no one wants to re victimize themselves, it is the imprint of trauma neurologically that's what we have to understand, but when we look at people, especially.
  • 00:48:42Particularly black women as angry as opposed to saying you know what their window of tolerance, have gotten so small, because of the trauma.
  • 00:48:53You know what Allah static load on the Vegas nerve for this for this person who've lived with transgenerational trauma is causing her to act that way.
  • 00:49:02How easy, is it for us to say she's an angry black woman or all these other false narratives that we give because of our lack of understanding and our lack of cultural competency.
  • 00:49:14We are human too, I too am a woman and how many times in our nation, have we seen men and it's very real.
  • 00:49:24And it wasn't very long ago, when we march with signs saying, I am a man, but when we can when we can excuse these historical traumas to this demographic.
  • 00:49:37Then we could continue to use the narratives that we use to explain what's happening in the lives of black women what's happening in the lives of black bodies that go from trafficking.
  • 00:49:49And why does my white counterpart is seen with more love and compassion welcome and and and more of everything that's human.
  • 00:50:01But that's denied to me that must change in our Community, and it must change in our world so restart to restore offers three things fundamentally number one.
  • 00:50:14you're safe, you have to allow the mind and the body to know that you're in a safe place and that's, the first thing we do is we get that relationship that Dr hunt was talking about.
  • 00:50:26nothing happens outside of relationship if i'm going to go fishing and I want to catch a smoke, or if I want to catch a trout I need to use the bait that they like.
  • 00:50:36Right I love the fish that's why i'm using that analogy, I have to use that I have to know something about that fish in order to capture it, and now that I got you.
  • 00:50:47Now the relationship or the therapeutic alliance can begin and then now I begin to do this, and this is what I call the amygdala hijacking I have to show you.
  • 00:51:00That you're no longer in a 911 emergency not you what your nervous system and I have to let that amygdala know you are safe now and, once you begin to trust me because.
  • 00:51:13Mistrust huge in our in our communities once I can earn your trust now I can begin to help you make sense of your trauma experience I can help you relive it and change the reframe it reframe it that's what I had to do, I have to reframe it and take control of it over and over again.
  • 00:51:36And then finally.
  • 00:51:37I had to help you understand that this is not normal, but this is a new normal and I can show you what's normal.
  • 00:51:46what's truly normal outside of that very flawed and distorted perception that happens in trauma it can happen and and i'm Thank you so much for allowing me to that extra time to say that.
  • 00:52:01you're welcome and he just circle back to you real quickly Dr bellows because I want to talk about what your company does.
  • 00:52:08And the APP that you produce that could be helpful, and we also want to be able to put links in the conversation so i'm asking.
  • 00:52:16Our participants to put the links that you want there before we hit our Q amp a we do have several questions but Dr bell can you just share for a moment, some of the things that your organization is working on and then we've yet.
  • 00:52:30Yes, so Sandra appreciate what you're saying and I just want to say this, my grandfather taught me how to fish, he was probably the first and when the only black men in my life that.
  • 00:52:41I was able to build a healthy relationship with, and so I still fish today and I love it, so I have to fish some time.
  • 00:52:49At more to life, we have something called I like to call getting to ground zero and getting to ground zero has to do with everybody in America understands 911.
  • 00:52:59There was a story and 911 where there was a man trying to get up and he was looking for a loved one there, who was in one of the twin towers and an emt came over and and and and he was just.
  • 00:53:13violently trying to get up and he was frantic and the empty said you can't get up because you're missing slowly and easily he was missing a leg, he was missing a limb is limb had blown off.
  • 00:53:28With victims, we serve it in my life.
  • 00:53:31Because victims haven't been able to surrender to the tremor understand that they're walking around at a negative of ground zero.
  • 00:53:39We can't even begin to provide services for them until they're at ground zero understanding the aftermath of the trauma.
  • 00:53:47And so more select we say victim to survivor survivor to thrive over fiver to champion i'm a Google next and policy leader, and so, for the last four years i've had the opportunity to be flown around the country.
  • 00:54:01to learn a lot about what google's doing to solve social problems and to make social impact and social justice issues through technology.
  • 00:54:09And even though I like to say i'm a late bloomer because I went through anxiety depression suicidal ideation the kind of stuff that's insanely sickening and crazy so people think I have it all together trust me.
  • 00:54:25You have no idea.
  • 00:54:29And so I created something two things, so the guys who created call of duty.
  • 00:54:33So many guys have created fortnight a Sean pennock who's the creator of cyber dream and a new huge massive multimillion dollar metaverse are my partners in something called the our EVAL.
  • 00:54:43they've already raised a ton that were being built on that platform I just received my first us patent and coming home.
  • 00:54:50And coming home is a Derek digital therapeutics implementation software, which is a mobile APP in case manager system.
  • 00:54:56And so any victim anywhere begins to understand the positive side of technology, regardless of the trauma your goals your tasks your child your challenges objectives measurement and outcomes your private journal your ability to receive.
  • 00:55:10increments of behavior change through positive implementation of chatting and positive reinforcement, in addition to finding jobs.
  • 00:55:17Educational E learning and a bunch of stuff that's really geared toward trauma informed processes in addition to the next iteration being able to play games.
  • 00:55:26that's connected to an entire case management system that any advocate anywhere, law enforcement, or otherwise, can use on their mobile device as well, but also it connects to teachers.
  • 00:55:37Parents law enforcement, who can always find a safe place to chat so that person trauma knows when they're going through the system it's safe.
  • 00:55:45That connecting to something called vr EVAL which is going to be the world's first process of metaverse environment for virtual.
  • 00:55:54therapy all around the world, so any survival enter a virtual space put on their headset choose an Avatar non-biased.
  • 00:56:02That therapist that counselor that law enforcement meets them in the virtual environment which is absolutely stunning and beautiful.
  • 00:56:10I can't wait for you all to see it and walk and talk by river do em Dr therapy do polly vago therapies do complex drama therapies in any environment walking along the beach.
  • 00:56:21walking in the mountains using an Avatar that therapist says, you have to know if it's a black person an Asian person it's up to that client to say that this.
  • 00:56:32Hopefully, will get us to a better understanding of what a doctor had said earlier, is relationship human to human connection and and people can go, I guess, I can state that you can go to come coming home APP to check that out right, and then you can go to view our EVAL calm, but that.
  • 00:56:52You repeat that vr evolve and i'm not hearing it yes.
  • 00:56:56vr.
  • 00:56:58 vr EVAL like evaluation calm.
  • 00:57:04And the coming home, which will be the CRM system for vr EVAL is already out it's in beta being used by Tom organizations that really, really love it and.
  • 00:57:15yeah it is that is fantastic and and can we talk about and one of the things that we did not talk about right before we go into Q amp a and.
  • 00:57:24That you can chime in on this is our education system, I know you I see here in my notes that you want it to talk about our education system as a release to traffic etc and education, so we want to chime in on that and the need for education in our schools, etc.
  • 00:57:48actor hot you're on mute.
  • 00:57:49All right, yeah.
  • 00:57:53Absolutely uh you know.
  • 00:57:56Something that that that was said really to some some eyes, it is Desmond Tutu said, my humanity is bound up in your humanity or we can only be human together, so this human experience that we are all collectively have having.
  • 00:58:13It starts with our children so that's why we want to go to the educational system, I have had the pleasure of being over 60 schools that is over 59,000 children and.
  • 00:58:26I tell you when when I think of what I know now.
  • 00:58:33versus what I knew that.
  • 00:58:37I want to now transfer.
  • 00:58:42The turnkey this information so i've been training clinicians and the training school administrators do our teachers know what to look for when trauma walks through the door.
  • 00:58:56Do does the staff, the the administrators, are they aware that it's not just a kid that sleeping inside of your classroom all the time, but that that child could have been harmed why I say harm because before we even speak about trauma speak about trafficking.
  • 00:59:19One out of 10 of our children, by the time they reach age eight can tell you that they have experienced three or more forms of trump so and that's to speak to what sondra said when she mentioned things happened before I was traffic so when we start to think that 70% of women.
  • 00:59:42That have been trafficked in some form or fashion, have said that abuse happened to them before they were traffic.
  • 00:59:52So we need our educators are educators, are important because they spent a vast majority of time with our children.
  • 01:00:03And as mandated reporters.
  • 01:00:06We need them to be able to identify what trauma looks like because trauma has a smell, it has a taste, it has a look trauma has a sound, so we want them to be able to identify to include it in curriculum.
  • 01:00:25So that our our teachers and administrators can be trained to look for trafficking to look for why does a certain teenager have an older boyfriend, why does a certain you know school age child.
  • 01:00:39carry a certain type of backpack or where certain type of clothing are they changing clothing when they come to the school versus what they left home in all of these things being sleepy being disassociated we need them to be able to identify these things, so the educators, are essential.
  • 01:01:01Because what another thing that we noticed is we're sending a lot of our students who we find us having behavioral problems, especially the African American you behavior problems to mobile crisis unit.
  • 01:01:15But the mobile crisis units are are are geared to treat you know homicidal ideation suicidal ideations we're miss diagnosing.
  • 01:01:26What our children are experiencing because we're looking at symptoms and not the root, so I really wanted to bring that because you know it's essential to understand.
  • 01:01:37That as educators, we have to have the eye so many times you'll hear a child said at the end of my teacher had only saw it.
  • 01:01:48So I wanted to mention that, thank you.
  • 01:01:50know that is excellent, I do want to get to some of the questions that have been pulled in our box, but I do want before we get to the questions if there are any we've covered so much.
  • 01:02:03But I am asked when Sandra Maria and if you have some if you have some high level takeaways that you just want to drop into chat to everyone, please do that.
  • 01:02:12Please do that Dr bellow so at this time, I want to just give you opportunity for even though it's not the end just some final comments, whether you want to tackle it from the.
  • 01:02:28To be able to help section or are pitfalls and observations or continuing with some of the recommendations on creating a better world for our children and our families, I want you to now contribute to this conversation in your closing.
  • 01:02:44I want to start with let's say Santa Maria.
  • 01:02:49Trafficking starts in the family system, both the perpetrator and the victim of trafficking starts in a family system family dynamic.
  • 01:03:01And that's where I want to be, I heard about the four p's and I totally agree we need to prevent and in order to prevent, we need to reach the family.
  • 01:03:11Family cohesiveness research tells us that it lessens the chances of that a person's being traffic it why because we're better in groups we're safer in groups we're safer and families that are self differentiated that are cohesive that are.
  • 01:03:30That are safe.
  • 01:03:31But when our families begin to implode when divorce and domestic violence and all these other social determinants comes in now children become like I did I ran away from home at a very young age, and to Dr hunts point.
  • 01:03:50I was touched at seven years old, by his stepfather because there was violence and domestic violence which calls to divorce divorces 50% right now, and the same way, we have these government subsidies of a warfare and snap benefits and all these government.
  • 01:04:09agencies that we have that provides these programs to underserved communities and and individuals that fall below the spl the.
  • 01:04:19federal poverty level the same way, we need to have programs like restart to restore programs like a Dr bellows program that she spoke about that we'll get to the underlying problems because we're still flailing at the branches of the symptoms and.
  • 01:04:39This is.
  • 01:04:39about the symptoms are black people are over diagnosed miss diagnosed and we are underserved in in psychotherapy so we're so quickly to be.
  • 01:04:52A DSM five we meet the criteria for for anxiety for depression and on and on and on ADHD and all these when basically we were not grieving it could be grief.
  • 01:05:04It could be grief according to Dr friedman's work on grief recovery and, if I may not be depressed at all, I may be going through life.
  • 01:05:14And I may not need that medication at all, I may just need cycle therapy, we need programs that will provide.
  • 01:05:20therapy that will pay for this therapy that will bring in these types of programs that will provide the access to them, and this is how we start and restore our communities to wholeness and to healing.
  • 01:05:35Thank you Hello.
  • 01:05:38When one of us fails, we all fail.
  • 01:05:41We can't look at therapy, as some of my constituents do when it's paid for.
  • 01:05:49by the Federal Government as welfare.
  • 01:05:52Because of the precipitation of what has happened, through centuries, it is something that we must need to do.
  • 01:06:01And it's not welfare and no one should should feel that it is 970 million people around the world have a mental health crises less than 50% have a therapist.
  • 01:06:14Less than 50% have access to the right therapist, which is why.
  • 01:06:19Our technology is so important because it gives you a therapist through vr and through the digital divide.
  • 01:06:27You could be an Africa and need a specialized therapist who's all the way in California that can happen in our space, we have to use technology in a positive way, we cannot.
  • 01:06:37At all shortfall restorative justice reduced to manage occasion our program in a state of Florida and there's some good ones around the country I learned a lot of what I initially learned from Benita Carter.
  • 01:06:51Who was incredible and Marian hatcher and I took that and built, you know every generation takes it further and and they taught me how to do that.
  • 01:07:01But the men that are traffickers, we see that there's a 28% of they were abused victims themselves.
  • 01:07:09The men that are buyers, we see a higher rate around 32% they were victimized as well, and so we think of education in schools it's different it's different for boys, human trafficking, prevention and education for boys is different.
  • 01:07:25And so we have to be able to not only teach anti gang violence and peace initiatives within.
  • 01:07:32The system.
  • 01:07:34And what empathy looks like within communities, but trafficking, sexual violence consent and prevention of sexual violence and abuse at a high rate.
  • 01:07:43Because boys having the high rate of suicide at 71% I believe in my heart there's no data on this, but no one said why they're committing suicide, I believe that men innately have a desire to protect my husband loves action movies, he wants to protect.
  • 01:08:02He wants to rescue.
  • 01:08:04yeah so if kids are wrong you're doing the antithesis of.
  • 01:08:07That if they're raping and violating and trafficking and killing.
  • 01:08:11That soul, does it know how to deal with that and so sometimes they check out for peer pressure because they've asked, we asked to something that they can't handle and so prevention is key.
  • 01:08:20We have to also open up the door and stop looking at violators buyers and the demand side of traffic game like like only the criminals, they are.
  • 01:08:30and treat them with the compassion, the understanding and the open up the doors and the grants, I have never received one grant, nor do I know for that side of it.
  • 01:08:42Because criminal in nature, but it requires education, because what are we doing we're lowering recidivism and we're lessening the propensity for human trafficking victims in the first place.
  • 01:08:53And you talk to Derek before we go on, you made a statement about research, a little bit early on, and even in previous conversations and what can be done around that as we look at this from federal lens can you just quickly recap that and then we'll go on.
  • 01:09:10In in the technical space that i'm in and in the nonprofit sector, a lot of times, people will call us for data i'm sure Dr hunt.
  • 01:09:21Dr Anderson just about all the way there almost Dr Anderson Dr Q, can I get your research, let me have your data because i'm putting that, together with other data.
  • 01:09:33We find that data predicated upon data predicated upon data is not really true, and most of that data is not driven by the African American Community nor focus on the African American Community.
  • 01:09:45And so it has to be fresh, new data about everything we're talking about today, especially with the polarized issues of the racial divide right now in our country.
  • 01:09:56it's at an all time crippling effect and the type of secondary and tertiary trauma that black people are facing.
  • 01:10:06Is is profound and so we have to have fresh, new data on the language of cultures in treatment toward the foot cultures and subcultures within our nation toward buyers black and white toward.
  • 01:10:19The aspects of the digital divide and access to bandwidth and the Internet, based on.
  • 01:10:25GEO fencing based on GEO locations rather and black and brown persons as well, and then, finally, based on buyer demand here's what i'll say here's one demographic I know for two most of the buyers were white.
  • 01:10:41Most of the pedophiles were white, but that doesn't mean that's necessarily true, but no one's really talks about the data of all the black girls that were raping violated by black men within their family.
  • 01:10:53what's that data and how do we use that to reach black men and young gang members for prevention and so research has to be fresh and new and it has to be funded.
  • 01:11:06Thank you so much i'm Dr bellows research has to be fresh and new and it has to be funded, just a few questions from the audience.
  • 01:11:16Will Dr bellows program have access to multiple languages.
  • 01:11:20Yes, okay.
  • 01:11:23Are there ways that other tools for addressing trauma that resides in the body body trauma that can be used in the African American Community.
  • 01:11:35Absolutely, it is our nervous system, our human nervous systems are human and human nervous systems are the same across across all of our theoretical orientations and so Dr bezel pentacle.
  • 01:11:51Keep the score and many others seagulls window of our window of tolerance and poly bagel theory that we spoke about today, yes, and we.
  • 01:12:02Can you drop it in the chat.
  • 01:12:03Sandra can you drop those things in the chat so they can know what those tools are i'm sorry, you can continue, but I want you to make sure you drop them in the chat.
  • 01:12:11drop that in the chat now, but we have the ability to wire neuro plasticity tells us that our brain have the ability to rewire itself and, all things can become new and.
  • 01:12:24Leave that Dr Q, just like a restart to restore his faith based so faith based this our theoretical orientation is a faith based orientation that preaches and teaches us that he makes all things new and this just.
  • 01:12:41You know, are you know science is catching up it's catching up with scripture, and this is how we begin to change and.
  • 01:12:50heal our communities and our families.
  • 01:12:53Well, the ways that culture can be a protective factor for black survivors of trafficking.
  • 01:13:00that's a broad question what type of culture, I don't.
  • 01:13:05um I think the ways that culture, I think, can we just take it from.
  • 01:13:12The culture from those that service traffic survivors of color.
  • 01:13:19Most.
  • 01:13:22How can they be.
  • 01:13:23protector.
  • 01:13:25face.
  • 01:13:26Some of the data that was ran shows that black social workers and care providers are the least amount in in the country.
  • 01:13:37And so, creating a protective space doesn't just mean hiring more black social workers in case managers, it does, but it means the right type of training, with the right type of salaries.
  • 01:13:52You can't tell someone that i'm going to do you're going to do really great work and do with all this trauma and you're getting $15 an hour to do so.
  • 01:14:01So we have to deal with it across, we have to have a cultural balance in terms of economics, but in terms of protecting this of cultures everything we said today.
  • 01:14:12You have to be educated and education has to be funded and you have to reach out I can put a couple of.
  • 01:14:18things in the chat, but you have to have equity and diversity training i'm not talking about diversity and inclusion i'm talking about diversity and belonging.
  • 01:14:26And what is Caribbean culture look like as Dr onset to make as opposed to the Bahamas Detroit crips as opposed to you know the 16th in California.
  • 01:14:38i'm a black family who is sort of boozy and economically hiding behind you know degrees, as opposed to someone who's at the apartment below the poverty line, you have to be on afraid and you have to admit.
  • 01:14:52Racial bias, you have to admit, on some level if any of your staff feel that one race is greater than another on any level, and you have to be open and honest about it, we have to talk about reading of racism and and and and and and racial bias, because with that.
  • 01:15:15It won't work.
  • 01:15:18And, if I may say.
  • 01:15:19Absolutely, I was going to come to you next yeah.
  • 01:15:23There are a couple of things you know there's a saying if you're here with us so faithfully if you're here with us on faithfully you're doing terrible damage and so.
  • 01:15:30A lot of damage has been done, because people have come in to Community and they have been unfaithful so one of the key things is changing the narrative.
  • 01:15:42The over sexualization of the African a woman, you know the black woman, that we are sexual beings Oh, you know that's who they are i've heard that a lot in spaces, but but don't they have sex at an.
  • 01:15:56early age, anyway, so though that type of narrative needs to change the second thing is, we have to be accountable for ourselves and make it okay to not be okay.
  • 01:16:10Because we're not seeking to go to therapy because we've been conditioned that something is wrong with you.
  • 01:16:20To seek out so Stephen our children aren't verbalizing men, they are in need of assistance, because it means that something is wrong with me so they internalize it know the adult did you something wrong.
  • 01:16:37So we need to create protective space where children can show up where women can say this has happened to me, but on the clinical side, I want to say this, we need to stop associating perfect memory.
  • 01:16:58With truth of story.
  • 01:17:02Experienced trauma will not say to you what happened to them in a chronological.
  • 01:17:09frame there everything all the pieces may not fit together all at once, as they're sharing the story, so what in turn happens is we give less value to this story.
  • 01:17:22We say that they're lying, so we need to change the narrative around those pieces and that's why i've started training days offices.
  • 01:17:33Because you're thinking of your case but understand that trauma isn't just what has happened to you trauma is what happens inside of you, as a result of what has happened to you, so what we may think we need it's not more important than what the individual needs at that time.
  • 01:17:54Thank you.
  • 01:17:55First they're the experts.
  • 01:17:56they're the experts, Dr Bella does the vr EVAL resources have access to translation services.
  • 01:18:05Yes, so um it's currently being built, right now, when you go to coming home that APP just reach out to us and i'll give you more information.
  • 01:18:16yeah just reach out via our EVAL isn't a process of being built.
  • 01:18:21So we're really excited if you go to the website you'll learn a lot about it, and you can just reach out to me i'll put an email in the chat right now.
  • 01:18:29Thank you, is there any consideration of moral inquiry and that as a form of trauma for trafficking beyond survivors who were forced to commit crimes Andrea knows it's something she is seeing in their Community where they serve injury moral injury.
  • 01:18:50Is there any consideration of moral injury and that is a form of trauma for trafficking beyond survivors who are forced to commit crimes, something that she is seeing in their Community where they serve.
  • 01:19:04So moral injury is huge, because it's the way we make meaning and if i'm making meaning, as this is something that i've done as opposed to something that I was made to do.
  • 01:19:15Then it's it's really equivalent to someone who goes on the front line in the military and he shooting the enemy not understanding that this was this was by.
  • 01:19:25You know your soldier you're on the front lines, you have to shoot the enemy and there's a lot of you know, conscious observers that would say I don't want to do that I don't want to shoot the enemy, but you're made to do that.
  • 01:19:39For the United States Government and i'm just using that just to just in context of the question So yes, there are moral injuries, I know.
  • 01:19:49Young mentees that I have right now I run a cycle social program on eq and a part of eq is understanding empathy.
  • 01:19:59A self self regulation empathy is the is the fourth component and internal motivation is the is the third one, and social skills is the last one well when it comes to this, I have to get them to understand.
  • 01:20:14Okay, so you were made to get someone from school and set them up with this sex buyer because your trafficker told you that if you didn't do that he was going to beat you.
  • 01:20:26and add another scar to the scars he already has given you do, you understand how this works, this is the this is this is just reality, and I know it's hard and maybe hard for a lot of the.
  • 01:20:39listeners and viewers to wrap their mind around this dark psychology but Doc psychology will drive us to do a lot of things that we would not do.
  • 01:20:49If not, under that coercion or not under that type of duress and so moral injury then has to be dissected to help survivors make meaning to help beyond survivors make meaning of moral injury and what is it about.
  • 01:21:07So an internal life that is something that you've done when you're under that type of duress.
  • 01:21:13And the Sander their charter, just like you said they're charging teams with trafficking because exactly what you said they're charging them with trafficking and as to when they were made to do that by the trafficker.
  • 01:21:26And in the context of this, it becomes very complex, but we have to understand the gist of this is.
  • 01:21:33That the self pity the shame the internalized self hatred, because, how could I do this I know male victims that.
  • 01:21:41internalized self hatred and became very suicidal because they couldn't fight off their trafficker.
  • 01:21:48Because they figure i'm a man I should be able to fight.
  • 01:21:51But you are 11 your six year nine, how could you i'll put it in context with six year old who's now 24 years years old, that i'm coaching right now, you couldn't fight.
  • 01:22:03And until I helped him understand that it was self pity that was keeping that bug in his house that he could open the door and let let it out get it out of your House, and that was not your fault you're sick you couldn't fight that off, and these are very real dynamics.
  • 01:22:23Thank you i'm going to ask if we can make everybody answers pretty concisely, because we're running out of time.
  • 01:22:29But thank you all for for contributing and know we all have a lot to say miss Anderson do you have a team that facilitates workshops for you, yes, yes okay.
  • 01:22:40Great so reach out to how we're dropping the information.
  • 01:22:44In the chat for everyone Sandra if you can put your information in there as a newly practicing clinician someone is asking what is the one book that you feel is crucial.
  • 01:22:53To assistant growing as a trauma informed culturally informed therapist and thank you for the information you provided today, so if there is a recommendation of a book and so can we also put that in the chat today.
  • 01:23:10Thank you um, we also need a link to restart to restore if we can put that in the chat.
  • 01:23:21Okay.
  • 01:23:23Alright, so this person says she's curious how the trauma of being forced to commit crimes as a part of your trafficking could be better address for some virus.
  • 01:23:33She said, this is a level of shame that we at corona rising that's the name of the organization daily see survivors we serve face we see traffic and more and more as a pathway toward incarceration and that does disproportionately impact young people of color.
  • 01:23:53By fighting and yet we're also part of the open those outreach network, so we work in 32 counties in Florida.
  • 01:24:00And so the Court advocacy is really important, and you almost have to fight like tooth and nail for a young person to not be charged.
  • 01:24:07You have to divert it out by being in your program it's no longer a charge, then they understand.
  • 01:24:14that it was not their fault, and then it can begin to heal because we're still seeing I know you're seeing the charges so you have to advocate.
  • 01:24:20You have to call the district attorney at the call the state attorney you have to talk to the judge you have to go to court, you have to talk to the probation officer or.
  • 01:24:28The attorneys that that that that you've hired that they're working with.
  • 01:24:33In that county regardless of the state, and you have to get the Department of children and families involved, you have to get task forces involved, you have to have.
  • 01:24:42You know statements in court from Community you have to keep fighting for youth, and you have to change the legislation within your state know used to be charged when connected when that child is connected to a trafficker and it's still happening so just keep advocating keep fighting.
  • 01:25:00And if I can just share something.
  • 01:25:01Yes, that as I work with the district attorney's here in New York City what has been wonderful is that they bring the condition in math.
  • 01:25:10right they bring their bringing me in not just to speak to the individual, but to speak in the actual county court cases.
  • 01:25:18So that we can support the trauma and we can bring a different lens for our youth and so that has helped a lot with the the DHS offices, working with finishes as well, thank you.
  • 01:25:31Know that's great um The rest are just basically saying thank you.
  • 01:25:37They felt this was an incredible dialogue and gathering of greatness, so I just want to echo that they saying this very powerful and so I just want to share and just say thank you to all of the panelists.
  • 01:25:51Thank you so much ACF for co hosting this with the partnership Center this very important conversation, and a lot that we have to dissect and really start looking at.
  • 01:26:03through different lenses Catherine has back on, and I know she appreciates and I know kathryn you didn't want to say anything at the close, but I do want you to share.
  • 01:26:12A minute of how you felt the dialogue went today I am more enriched more knowledgeable as a result of it.
  • 01:26:18And I do know that we have a lot of work to do on our end not just with federal, but those that have one line, now that our service providers, those that are online that are.
  • 01:26:26clinicians that have learned a great deal in today's conversation so Catherine allowed me to give you the final word.
  • 01:26:35Pressure English but i'm just so thankful to be a listener to this conversation such a powerful I so many things I just wrote down on this side of.
  • 01:26:48Things that each of you has spoken into the day today, so thank you for sharing your expertise, there are some concrete ideas that what you also share that we've heard.
  • 01:26:59For example, around the importance of equipping survivors and.
  • 01:27:06local community organizations with the training and technical assistance to even be able to apply for federal funding opportunities, whether it's grants or contracts and then.
  • 01:27:16set them up for success is something that we're taking a serious look at what we can do this calendar year.
  • 01:27:24And just so many other ideas that we john it does, and I hope many other people benefited from it as well, and also just a message back like a feedback loop that.
  • 01:27:34This isn't just one conversation yeah part of a longer series of engagements that hhs and the Federal Government has on racial equity issues so.
  • 01:27:45We look forward to not just further listening sessions with and learning sessions, particularly.
  • 01:27:55But putting some of these ideas and action in partnership with you, so thank you to the hhs partnership Center for organizing this event today and for all the expertise and wisdom that you shared into this space, thank you and Thank you everyone for joining us today we're looking forward.
  • 01:28:18to continuing the conversation.