UnSilenced: Battle Creek Anti- Human Trafficking Coalition

07/03/2025

Found guilty of transporting people for prostitution—but not guilty of s*x trafficking. Let that sink in. You can move the bodies, but somehow not own the harm? You can profit off the pain, but not be held accountable for the trauma?

Nah. I can’t stand behind that. I’m not a lawyer.
I’m a survivor. And I’ve lived the kind of story that the world often doesn’t want to believe. Let me tell you what s*x trafficking really looks like: It looks like fear. It looks like silence. It looks like being too ashamed to run and too broken to fight. It looks like being groomed, manipulated, threatened, and praised—until you don’t know who you are anymore and what’s up or what's down.

The courtroom may not have seen it.
But survivors everywhere FELT IT, everywhere. This isn’t just about one man. This is about a system that STILL protects power over people. It’s about a world that still asks, “Why didn’t you leave?” instead of, “What happened to you?” Because the world still doesn’t understand trauma bonding. Stockholm syndrome. Psychological captivity. We still expect survivors to look and act like victims instead of recognizing how smart, scared, loyal, and conditioned they’ve been to survive.

This case may be over. But the trauma survivors live with isn’t. That’s why we speak. That’s why we build UnSilenced. Because verdicts can silence—but truth, healing, and community never will.

06/26/2025

TWO TRAININGS. ONE MISSION.

What an honor it was to officially launch our Beyond The Badge Training with not just one, but two squads from the Michigan State Police PawPaw Post!

We kicked off at 9:00 PM last night and didn’t crawl into bed until after midnight. Then we were back at it again by 6:30 AM today. And let me tell you — the conversations were worth every second.

The feedback?
Incredible. Real. Honest.
Even the sergeants said we hit on things they had never thought about before. That right there is why we do what we do — to change the lens, reframe the response, and center survivors in every encounter.

I’m beyond proud of my UnSilenced Tribe and especially Nicole, my right-hand warrior, for showing up with grit, heart, and presence. We braved two back-to-back trainings — and now we’re headed to work our full-time clinical jobs at ISK like the resilient, survivor forces we are.

This is what survivor-led, faith-rooted, justice-driven work looks like in real time.

Thank you, MSP, for letting us sit at the table and speak into this space. Together, we’re not just wearing the badge — we’re moving beyond it.

06/22/2025

Let’s talk about addiction—raw, real, and without shame.

Addiction is not weakness.
It’s not a failure.
It’s not a choice someone makes because they’re “bad.”

Addiction is a SYMPTOM.
It’s a survival response.
It’s what happens when your nervous system is stuck in fight, flight, freeze—or fawn—because no one ever taught you how to safely feel.

It can come from a childhood where love had conditions. From homes where co-regulation didn’t exist. From witnessing violence, betrayal, or abandonment with no one there to help make sense of it. From a society that teaches you that you’re not worthy of love unless you earn it or stay quiet.

Addiction isn’t just drugs and alcohol. It’s anything you turn to in order to numb the pain:
• Food
• Sex/Porn
• Work
• Codependency
• Shopping
• Social media
• Self-harm
• Approval-seeking
• Toxic relationships

These coping strategies are not the problem—they are the response to deeper wounds. And this is often the opening traffickers, abusers, and manipulators are waiting for. Vulnerabilities like addiction become doors they sneak through—offering false connection, fake love, or control disguised as care.

At UnSilenced, we understand this. We’ve lived it. We see survivors, even when others only see their behaviors.

We believe healing starts with being heard. With removing shame. With breaking cycles. With building safety—not just in the world, but in our own bodies.

If this speaks to you—whether you’re in it, healing from it, or loving someone who is—know this:
You are not broken. You were wounded. But you’re still here. And that matters more than anything.

🦋 Let’s keep breaking the silence.

06/18/2025

06/15/2025

✨Father’s Day: Through a Survivor’s Eyes✨

To the fathers who protected, guided, and loved—thank you. To the ones who tried but didn’t know how—we see your humanness. To those who caused pain, who left behind wounds—this post is not for you, but for the ones healing from you.

Today, some of us are holding both love and grief in the same breath. Some of us are holding space for little versions of ourselves who wished Father’s Day felt safer… softer… more whole.

We honor every survivor whose healing journey is tangled in the memory of a father—whether it’s the ache of absence, the weight of betrayal, or the echo of what could’ve been.

And yet—look again. There is beauty in these eyes.
Resilience in every tear. Hope reflected in every shard of broken light. We are the proof that even if our stories began in darkness, they don’t have to stay there.

If today is hard, know that you’re not alone.
If today is beautiful, we celebrate with you.
If today is both—that’s okay too.

06/12/2025

"She didn't climb the ladder—she kicked it over and built a table." Yep, that is how UnSilenced does things. And now that table just got WMU-approved!!

I am OVERJOYED (and let's be honest—still blinking twice like, wait, what?!) to officially announce that Western Michigan University has approved UnSilenced—as my official site to complete both my BSW and MSW internships.

How cool is it that I get to do my internship through the nonprofit I built out of my own survival story? And guess who gets the sacred job of being my supervisor? The one and only Nicole—a powerhouse of patience, humor, and survivor wisdom who's been holding this mission and vision down beside me long before field hours were part of the picture.

Let's be real—it wasn't easy. I sacrificed graduating with my original cohort to give this dream room to breathe. I delayed my own timeline to build something that would break timelines for others. Some things are worth the wait in triple ways.

Because now, instead of being placed somewhere, I get to plant deeper roots in the movement God called me to build. We don't fit in the box—and thanks to WMU, we don’t have to ✨ Because when survivors lead, systems shift.

This isn’t just about internships. This is about changing the way social work is taught—beyond policies and procedures. This is what it means to BE trauma-informed. To know that healing doesn’t come in neat packages. To sit with someone in the storm, without trying to fix them with a clipboard.

WMU not only approved this internship—they're ready to send other students to us too. Let that sink in: a survivor-led ministry now shaping the next generation of social workers.
This is God.
This is grit.
This is growth.
This is UnSilenced.

06/12/2025

Trigger Warning: Real Talk Ahead

That image? Whew. It’s a whole sermon in one paragraph. For many trauma survivors, emotional inconsistency isn’t just uncomfortable—it’s terrifying. A weird tone. A delayed reply. A shift in someone’s vibe. That’s all it takes to send us spiraling, not because we’re dramatic, but because inconsistency used to mean danger. Betrayal. Punishment without warning.

Now let me speak from where I stand—running a survivor-led coalition that helps with needs, resource navigation, and crisis response:

We can’t save anyone.
We can walk beside you.
We can show you the path.
We can advocate, pray, cry, and hold space.

But we can’t rescue you.
That’s your job.

Until someone can step out of their trauma response and learn to love themselves, the journey will stay messy. Expect lies. Hostility. Panic. Shutting down. Lashing out. Not because they’re bad people—but because pain speaks in complex ways.

Still—we keep showing up.
Even when it hurts.
Even when they spit fire in our faces.
Because someone once showed up for us.

UnSilenced isn’t here to fix your life.
We’re here to remind you that you can rebuild it.

And when you’re ready—we’ll be here.

06/10/2025

🔥 3AM? TRAFFICKING TRAINING? YOU KNOW WE’RE THERE. 🔥

While the rest of the world is drooling on their pillows, the UnSilenced crew is clocking in with purpose.

Starting at 3:00 AM EST tomorrow, we’re logging into Zoom to bring the heat all the way to Southern Africa — because exploitation doesn’t take a day off, and neither do we.

We’re wrapping up a major international event with 1.5 hours of training for law enforcement and security working in the world's largest diamond mines—a place where lives are often treated as less valuable than the rocks they dig up.

Not today, Satan. 💎

This ain’t your average training. We’re about to break down the real signs of trafficking — the kind that hides behind charm, fear, fake love, and legal loopholes.

And we’re not coming alone.
Shoutout to two of Michigan’s baddest good guys:

💯🌟Detective Jon Pegnataro – Street smart, survivor-sensitive, and living proof that good cops do exist. He doesn’t just wear the badge; he rewrites what it stands for.

💯🌟Chief Rich “I-See-Through-Your-BS” Mackey – A one-man task force with 20+ years across police, fire, and EMS who shows up with strategy, humility, and no tolerance for traffickers (or excuses).

Oh, and we’re dragging our trauma, our survivor voices, and our coffee with us, too ⚠️ because let’s be real… it’s 3AM! But when the mission matters, we don’t hit snooze.

Pray for us. Cheer us on, and let's get to work!

06/03/2025

THE HOPE HOUSE — EST. 2021
It’s not just a place.
It’s a promise.

Let’s go.

We’re coming! UnSilenced lockin’ arms with Hood Church—because when healing meets street ministry, and faith meets fire, something holy erupts—deeper outreach. Stronger bridges. More healing. Less shame.

Tag your street team. Tag a survivor. Tag your mama if she prays spicy. We’re here to wash feet until every survivor remembers they were never dirty to begin with.

We see you, fam,” to every single soul who’s ever been told they were too broken, too dirty, or too far gone. Lies. Straight-up lies.

Together, we are faith in action—not just on Sundays but every single messy, beautiful, broken-in-between day. Brother Raul, thank you for seeing us, for loving like Jesus, and for reminding us that even when it’s hard, the mission still matters.

06/02/2025

Backyard Therapy Session: Unlicensed but Highly Effective 💋

Today’s lesson with my granddaughter Rennie: how to sit in the sunshine, love yourself exactly as you are, and make kissy faces like nobody’s watching. 🥰

She told me (without words, but with a serious toddler side-eye): “Grandma, you’re weird. But like… my kind of weird.”

And I said, “Girl, SAME.”

No makeup, no filters (okay maybe one), and no shame in our chill game. We’re learning to be loudly ourselves and laugh while doing it. 💁‍♀️💜

05/19/2025

Assistance Needed: A vulnerable  individual in need of a small tent.  Does anybody have one to donate?