DECEMBER 2018 NEWSLETTER Volume 3, No. 4 December 2018
Our Mission: The Rochester Regional Coalition Against Human Trafficking (RRCAHT) is dedicated to eliminating human trafficking in our communities through education, advocacy, and networking with individuals and organizations.
JANUARY IS NATIONAL
SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING
PREVENTION MONTH
Working against human trafficking in the Rochester region.
PLEASE JOIN US 3RD ANNUAL RRCAHT PROCLAMATION EVENT
JANUARY 11, 2 P.M.
EBENEZER WATTS CONFERENCE CENTER
47 SOUTH FITZHUGH STREET
January 11: RRCAHT Fundraiser at Panera's, This fundraising event will be from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Panera's, 1902 Monroe Avenue. 20% of your purchase will be donated back to RRCAHT. You'll need to bring a printed flyer or an electronic flyer on your mobile phone or tablet and show the cashier as you order. Invite friends and family.Click here for the flyer.
January 25:Brightstar Community presents a movie screening of In Plain Sight: Stories of Hope and Freedom, "an inspiring documentary featuring the work of six female abolitionists as they fight against sex trafficking in the United States. Journeying to six US cities, the film opens the viewer's eyes to what's happening down the street 'in plain sight.' " Location: Shults Center at Nazareth College.
Time: 6:30 - 9 p.m. $10 suggested donation. Students free. For further information, contact sue.kirby@brightstarcommunity.org
January 28: Please join RRCAHT for a night of celebration, networking and fundraising at Nox Cocktail Lounge in Village Gate, 302 Goodman Street North, 6 - 8:30 p.m. We'll celebrate becoming a 501(c)(3) organization, network with other groups that fight human trafficking, and fund raise to expand our "Yes, Here" Campaign. Admission is free but a donation is requested.Visit our website for more information:www.rrcaht.org
January 29:Angels of Mercy announces an Anti-Human Trafficking Awareness program at Nazareth College, at 6 p.m. in the Forum at Shults Center, 4245 East Avenue, Rochester 14618. The event is hosted by Nazareth College students majoring in Women & Gender Studies and Health & Human Services. For further information, contact Lauren VanCott, levancott@gmail.com
Founder & Executive Vice President, Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives
Photo: Kenneth Morris, Jr., a direct descendant of Frederick Douglass and Co-founder and President of FDFI; Nettie Washington Douglass, his mother, and Celia McIntosh, Chair of RRCAHT, pose with statue of Frederick Douglass at recent event on RIT Campus.
"Abolition Through Education" is the maxim that drives Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives (FDFI) in its mission "to advance freedom through knowledge and strategic action." Two of the organization’s founders, Nettie Washington Douglass and Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., are direct descendants of both Douglass and another great American legacy, Booker T. Washington. FDFI believes that its
work to develop human trafficking prevention education programming is very much in line with how Douglass and Washington would address the problem if they were here today.
A few years back, the founders were confronted for the first time with solid facts about modern day slavery: millions are still enslaved in every country of the world, including the United States, in conditions as bad as or worse than those suffered by their ancestors. They decided that this was not something from which they could walk away, especially considering the platform granted to them by their lineage.
FDFI announced its desire to relocate the organization from Atlanta to a brick and mortar location in Rochester, New York, in part to coordinate with a community that identifies so closely with the great abolitionist. “Just as Douglass led the anti-slavery movement of the 19th century from right here in Rochester, there’s no reason this region can't lead the movement to prevent and end all forms of contemporary slavery,” said Robert J. Benz, FDFI’s other founder.
Current FDFI projects include One Million Abolitionists, which is distributing one million copies of Frederick Douglass's first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, to young people across the country, as part of the 2018 celebration of the bicentennial of Douglass's birth.
RRCAHT Embarks on a New Journey
As a 501(c)(3) Organization by Celia McIntosh, RRCAHT Chair
On April 4, 2013, the Rochester Regional Coalition against Human Trafficking (RRCAHT) was formed. It was on this day we confirmed our commitment to network and collaborate in an effort to address and prevent human trafficking locally.
April, 2018 marked our fifth anniversary. Over the first five years, our coalition has undergone many changes, including restructuring and expanding our initiatives. The teamwork and commitment of our members and supporters is nothing short of passionate; it is the glue that holds RRCAHT together.
Anniversaries are milestones and give us the opportunity to look back on the memories we have created, and the influence and impact we have had and want to continue having.
What began with just a couple of nonprofits and individuals now includes many across the community spectrum. I am honored to be a part of such a dedicated coalition. So let's look forward to another amazing year as we embark on our new journey as a 501(c)(3) organization.
Link and Learn: Connecting Our Readers to
Local and International Human Trafficking News
Three news stories came to our attention recently, two local and one international, that we thought our readers would like to know about. Here are brief summaries and links for you.
New Shelter to Cater to LGBTQ Youth by Alan Crichton
WXXI News, November 8, 2018
The Center for Youth is preparing to open a shelter specifically for LGBTQ and trafficked homeless youth. According to the article although only 7 percent of our local population is made up of LGBTQ people, 40 percent are homeless.
Link:https://www.wxxinews.org/post/new-shelter-cater-lgbtq-youth
Electric Cars, Smart Phones & Slave Labor Stop Trafficking!
Anti-Human Trafficking Newsletter of U.S. Catholic Sisters
November 2018
In order to meet the global demand for rechargeable batteries, cobalt is needed. The main sources of this mineral are found in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Cobalt miners include children, and neither adults nor children are offered even basic equipment to protect them from illnesses that exposure to the dust they work in causes. The larger issue is the lack of ethical commitment throughout the supply chain.
Link: http://www.stopenslavement.org/assets/stoptraff1611.pdf
Articles about trafficking are always available at our website, http://www.rrcaht.org
Time to Renew Your Membership by Marilyn Rosen, Membership Chair
Dear Newsletter Readers,
It's time to renew your membership in the Rochester Regional Coalition against Human Trafficking. Our membership year starts on January 1, 2019. Now that we have received not-for-profit status from the Internal Revenue Service, your dues payment and any additional contributions are eligible for tax deduction.
2018 was another productive year for RRCAHT!
Highlights for the year include:
A National Human Trafficking Awareness Day press conference, attended by more public officials than ever before
Increased recognition as the "go-to" organization for information about human trafficking, resulting in more media requests and invitations to present at conferences and requests for training
Continuation of our "Yes, Here" campaign with posters at bus shelters. As a part of this campaign there will be 26 monitors featuring our message downtown at the RTS Transit Center. Look for these throughout the month of January.
Increased donations of Care Packs and Care Pack supplies.
Becoming incorporated and receiving recognition from the Internal Revenue Service as a not-for-profit organization.
Welcoming of educational speakers at our monthly meetings, increasing our understanding of issues pertaining to human trafficking.
We need your support in order to continue our work. Dues are $25 for individuals and $100 for agencies/ organizations/corporations.
Pay by check. Please make your check payable to RRCAHT and mail to: RRCAHT, P.O. Box 10445, Rochester, NY 14610. Your payment is tax-deductible.
Please send any questions you might have to rrcaht1@gmail.com
Thanks!
2018-2019 RRCAHT Steering Committee
Steering Committee for the 2018-2019 term:
Chair: Celia McIntosh
Vice Chair: Vacant
Treasurer: Judy Weinstein
Secretary: Janelle Snow
Communications Strategist: Melanie Blow
Ad Hoc Members: Hannah Murphy Lisa Packer
RRCAHT 2019 Meeting Dates --
Please Join Us
RRCAHT Monthly Meetings are held from 4 - 5:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month at Temple Sinai, 363 Penfield Road. The next meetings are:
January10
February 14
March 14
After the meeting you are invited to stay for a half-hour presentation on an aspect of trafficking given by a Coalition member or guest.
Visit the Coalition's comprehensive website at www.rrcaht.org.
If you have an event that you would like to have considered for inclusion in the calendar on our website please send a note to us at rrcaht1@gmail.com
