Essence Special Report: Sex Trafficking In The Black Community

The poem from Bunny*—a teenage sex trafficking survivor—reads like a slow burn of anguish. The storms form as my heart bleeds/patiently waiting to feel accepted and loved/by people who were supposed to care for me. …  She writes further of “nightly terrors, screams,” and a “soul made with peace but never at ease.” Representative Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) is among the members of the Congressional Black Caucus who are pushing legislative solutions on Capitol Hill.  They include two bills aimed at combating human trafficking on the nation’s highways. “Commercial drivers play a central role in the fight against human trafficking, often serving as the first line of defense,” said Lawrence. “By strengthening systems to recognize and report trafficking, and closing loopholes to traffickers who seek to exploit our transportation system for their personal gain, we are making progress towards combating human trafficking.”