Don’t get me wrong. I am not some sheltered upper middleclass woman that was protected from the evils of this world. I practiced medicine for decades, traveled and provided medical care in some of the poorest areas in the world but it was my experience as the Medical Director of the Juvenile Justice Department during […]
Silent Tears By Amanda Smith shh…listen don’t you hear I’m crying but they are silent tears I’m crying on the inside so you can’t see All the pain running through me I cry for you I cry for me I cry for the times I can’t so if you listen you may hear my silent […]
Human trafficking is not just an issue faced outside of the USA. Unfortunately, it is a real issue in our own communities. Wedgwood’s Manasseh Project began shortly after professional staff at Wedgwood Christian Services helplessly watched as a child they knew and had cared for was trafficked and exploited in Grand Rapids. Despite all our […]
Handing me the newspaper, my husband said, “You are going to want to read this.” The article was about the Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force (MHTTF). He was right – I was interested. —– I had just completed a three-year teaching commitment at a university in Africa. Now back in Michigan, I was reordering my […]
Last December, religious leaders from Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu and other faiths came together at the Vatican to call for an end to slavery by 2020. The leaders said it was a “human and moral imperative” to wipe out human trafficking, forced, labor, prostitution and organ trafficking. They committed to do all they could to […]
Jennifer Fopma, a member of the Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force recently published the following column in the Battle Creek Enquirer. We re-post it here. Visit, “Counting Statistics is Not Always Wise,” Battle Creek Enquirer, May 15, 2015 to read the original. When my children were both in elementary school there was a tornado warning […]
On the Voices of Change Blog, we like to invite our readers to Take Action. Every personal story on this blog ends with a simple action item – a step that you can take to break the silence about human trafficking and effect change in your own community. Today’s post is all about sharing opportunities […]
I have been an active member of the Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force for well over a year. Initially I contacted them because of my desire and passion to open a safe house for survivors of human trafficking. I am delighted to report that Sanctum House is becoming a reality. However, on the journey to […]
We all want good things for our children, families, friends, and ourselves. American Indian Alaska Native (AIAN) individuals share these sentiments as well. Unfortunately, sentiment only goes so far when it comes to living a life of quality and purpose for many people. American Indian Alaska Native (AIAN) persons are at a higher risk of […]
I never saw Philadelphia Story but when I adopted my daughter Lidia my mother would sing, “Oh Lydia, oh Lydia, say, have you met Lydia? Lydia The Tattooed Lad. She has eyes that folks adore so, and a torso even more so. Oh Lydia, oh Lydia, say, have you met Lydia? Lydia The Tattooed Lady.” […]