Ladies Night of Purpose
Today is September 11th, a day that has a huge black mark on American history. I don’t think I need to go into detail about what happened that day so many years. I will say that I can remember taking my first grader ( My now married daughter) to school, coming home fixing my middle daughter’s breakfast/lunch and being newly pregnant with my youngest. During that time, I was pretty much secluded from the outside world, no the internet, and just the basic cable channels. So you can imagine my disbelief to see a horrific event such as the twin towers falling happening on American soil.
Fast forward to my dad, who was a retired Marine and retired cop, who was active in the community whether it was running for office, being an advocate for the blind and active in veteran’s organizations, his legacy left me with the need to give back. So last June, I attended an event called Ladies Night of Purpose with MISSIO and Still Being Molly which focused on just that giving back.
I originally signed up to go to the event because Molly was speaking. I am a big fan of Molly and admire her for everything she is trying to do in her lifetime to face injustice. So whenever I can get a chance to hear her speak, I hope and pray that my schedule is clear so I can go.
The topic was human trafficking and how we can fight this battle that is continuing across the country. This particular night Molly had teamed up with Lauren, CEO and Founder of MISSIO haircare to conduct a very frank discussion about this issue.
I know you are probably saying to yourself, that human trafficking isn’t a problem where I live? But folks let me tell you it is a huge epidemic in our country. And if you live near major highways, you might have seen it happen, but just didn’t know what it was. Lives of young and old are at stake. I was really impressed when Molly stated: “ I believe I can see the end of human trafficking in my lifetime.”
Molly went on to discuss how she is battling in the county she lives in to get the sketchy massage parlors closed down. She is standing in the gaps for those that enslaved to their “owners” ( for lack of a better word.)
Lauren from MISSIO told the women in the crowd how her hair care line came into being and the purpose behind it. Think about it, there is something about sitting in the chair at your hair salon, that just makes you feel relaxed and inhibited. This is where you feel the most comfortable about sharing your life.
When victims sit in their chair, they feel like they or worthy of something else. It is a small seed that is planted to show all victims that are worthy of more. Lauren stated that she holds training sessions to educate salons and stylists about the signs of a victim of human trafficking, She encourages them by giving printed cards like you see below to hand out to those they suspect of being human trafficking victims.
She also shares a card that tells how you can make a difference in the lives of victims. This card which is front and back shares the warning signs of victims. I have listed these below.
Warning Signs of Human Trafficking
- Avoids contact, depressed mood, seems withdrawn or isolated
- Signs of drug/alcohol use
- Signs of physical or sexual abuse
- Evidence of controlling relationships ( even with family members)
- Third-party is always present or in control of schedule / social interactions
- Lack of control of own money and / or identification documents
- Inappropriate dress for the weather
- Suspicious tattoos or branding
- Unexplained/conflicting stories of injuries
- Frequent movement/ Erratic schedule
I also love that MISSIO is a product with a purchase they give a portion of the sale of each of their hair care line back into the community to fight this form of modern-day slavery.
I will say that I was surprised and saddened by what I learned during the very informative and informal talk. I am also glad that I took Gracie, my youngest with me because she needed to hear this information as well.
