Table of Contents

Updates can be forwarded to path_admin@amwa-doc.org for inclusion in future newsletters. 
_____________________________

Leadership Opportunities
AMWA-PATH is currently looking for a new administrative assistant! Please find the role description, responsibilities, and application here.
_____________________________
 

Education Events
AMWA-PATH and Dr. Mollie Gordon will be hosting a virtual LIFT event at Rutgers Medical School on Saturday March 6 at 9:30a; registration is available at bit.ly/liftnewjersey. The team has welcomed Jen Stout and Rebecca Hayes as LIFT Coordinators, who will be working to reschedule 2020 events that were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are currently in the process of scheduling dates for LIFT trainings at the University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Medicine and the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine. Please reach out to path_admin@amwa-doc.org if you are interested in collaborating with AMWA-PATH on an event for your institution.
_____________________________

Trafficking and Media

Until about 1995, human trafficking has rarely been depicted in Hollywood, whether it be in movies or TV series. And, if it is, oftentimes it is inaccurately and even potentially harmfully portrayed to the public eye. Indeed, it seems there is more to criticize than compliment in the media’s newest portrayal of human trafficking, in the form of the popular series “Big Sky” from storyteller David E. Kelly. Following the story of two young girls kidnapped by a truck driver on a desolate highway in Montana, “Big Sky” reveals a deeper plot of human trafficking, and two private detectives are on the case. The villain and kidnapper of these innocent girls previously had trapped multiple other women, many of whom are sex workers, looking to traffic them across the border of the United States into Canada. This fails to address the more common types of trafficking and the nuances of human trafficking - especially familial and labor trafficking. 

It is also important to note that the main premise of how this villain is able to remain hidden and continue on his horrific path is that the women who he captures go unnoticed once missing. This is an enormous issue of current times, especially among indigenous people in Montana. The public outcry against the cultural insensitivity - “Big Sky” does not depict any indigenous people throughout the series - has gained traction in the last year. Viewers have commented on the show’s serious lack of consideration for trafficked indigenous women in Montana, as well as the considerable number of missing persons cases there that remain unsolved. Too little attention and energy is given to these missing indigenous individuals in Montana. In fact, 26% of missing persons in Montana are indigenous people, a staggering number.

Additionally, critics were upset about the fact that the villain in the show is a truck driver. These critics astutely point out that truck drivers are currently on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic daily. Nor was any praise or acknowledgment given to Truckers Against Trafficking, a group that works to educate truck drivers on the signs of human trafficking and how to report it while on the road.

The “Big Sky” series simplistically pits "good" vs "evil," while human trafficking is much more complex and rooted in poverty, racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, and otherism. In many films and TV shows that address human trafficking, these contributors are glossed over. Good story-telling, on the other hand, challenges us to consider, "What is good? What is evil?" It challenges us to take a good, long look at ourselves and ask ourselves, "How does this relate to me?" and "How have I contributed to this?" and most importantly, "What can I do to improve the lot of others?" The plays and films that do this - those are life-changing art rather than mere entertainment.
_____________________________