1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
Welcome & Freedom Drivers Project Learning Journey
Many communities are located on or near major highways or transportation corridors where human trafficking proliferates. Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT), a nonprofit that educates, equips, empowers and mobilizes members of the trucking and busing industries to combat human trafficking, will be on site to train advocates on truck and rest stop activism through The Freedom Drivers Project.
Program participants will explore this first-of-its-kind mobile installation that educates members of the trucking industry and the general public about the realities of domestic sex trafficking and how the trucking industry is combating it. From its outside wrap to the climate controlled interior (which includes a theatre station and actual artifacts from trafficking cases that connect people to the back stories of so many who end up enslaved in our country), to portraits of the real Truckers Against Trafficking and how each is working to end human trafficking, this 18-wheeler trailer provides many with their first glimpse into human trafficking, along with simple action steps anyone can take immediately walking out of it.
Light snacks will be provided.
3:15 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Panel Discussion:
Where child sex slavery lives and lurks in the U.S… and how determination endures
What do a bar of soap, an eighteen-wheeler and a code of conduct have in common? All three have been deployed by our panelists to combat the hidden crime of domestic child sex trafficking, an epidemic affecting every community in the United States.
Delve deep into the issue of human trafficking with four female civic leaders who have focused their grit, drive and determination into battling an issue that many aren’t aware is happening in their own backyards—in their local schools, hotels and rest stops.
Kate Lee (Past President of the Junior League of the Oranges and Short Hills, Past Chair of NJSPAC and Executive Director of the NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking) will moderate this thought-provoking, action-inducing conversation about human trafficking and how organizations and individuals can join the movement to combat it. Her guests, Theresa Flores (survivor, author and founder of S.O.A.P. who was trafficked out of her home), Helen Van Dam (Freedom Drivers Project Director with Truckers Against Trafficking) and Carol Smolenski (Executive Director of ECPAT-USA), will share stories about their personal and professional journeys that have led each of them to tackle this heinous crime from a different angle, and shine a spotlight on the many strategies and tactics any interested individual or organization could deploy in order to help combat it in their local community.
4:50 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Noor Tagouri—Keynote: Breaking Barriers Through Storytelling
“As a badass activist with a passion for demanding change and asking the right questions, accompanied by beauty-ad-campaign looks, Tagouri forces us to ask ourselves why we have such a hard time wrapping our minds around a young woman who consciously covers her head and won’t take no for an answer.”– Anna del Gaizo, Playboy Magazine
Noor Tagouri is a journalist, entrepreneur and touring speaker interested in exploring subcultures like food and immigration, underground scenes and marginalized communities in the United States. Her multi-faceted work and honest, candid, impactful reporting/storytelling perfectly align with The Junior League’s 118-year legacy of empowering women and transforming communities.
Her accomplishments are many: In 2017, she released her first series with Scripps on Hulu called “A Woman’s Job,” highlighting trailblazing women in male-dominated careers. In 2018 Noor released her documentary series “Sold in America,” investigating the sex trade in the U.S., with a podcast spinoff climbing to #8 on Apple’s Podcast Charts, amassing over 1.5 million downloads. She has partnered with Tumi and Girlboss to create “In Progress: An Imperfect Journey, Navigated,” a podcast based on her annual speaking tour.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY
7:00-9:30 p.m.
AJLI Annual Conference Opening Reception at History Colorado
Join in with members of The Junior League at the Annual Conference Opening Reception at one of the 25 must-see buildings in Colorado, the History Colorado Center, a short 10-minute walk from the hotel. Shuttle buses will run on a loop starting at 6:45 p.m. from the hotel. Grab hold of your beverage, stock up on hors d’oeuvres and explore the stories of the many cultures that have made Colorado’s landscapes their home.
