Revisited: Human Trafficking in the US

Rosine Hounakey is from Togo but she was trafficked to the US at 13 years old. Forced to work for free on both coasts of the US, she was later coerced into an abusive marriage until she was freed with her two young sons as the result of an ICE raid when she was just 17 years old.

She then had to go through foster care in various American cities, waking up at 5am every day to take her kids to school before completing high school herself, after years with no formal education, having taught herself English along the way.

We also discuss the entrepreneurial spirit of Togolese women, annoying stereotypes about Africa and Africans, tension and solidarity with the African American community, and moving forward with life in the US after a deeply traumatic start.

Be sure to check the links below for critical facts on Human Trafficking, as well as organizations that can provide immediate assistance.

Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women

Revisited: AfricaTown, USA (2 of 2)

In observance of Black History Month we’ve re-edited opening and closing thoughts to two episodes that were first published back in September of 2019. A lot has happened since then, but we felt that the conversation and the history contained in these episodes is as relevant now as ever:

In this second of a two-part conversation I talk to Major Joe Womack (USMC-retired) about AfricaTown. Now part of Mobile, Alabama, AfricaTown was founded by survivors of the last slave ship to bring Africans to the US. And the shipwreck was just discovered in 2019. Joe was born and raised there and now he is leading a fight to prevent its ongoing exploitation and pollution by toxic industries. It’s a story that goes to the heart, not only of the Deep South, but of America’s failure to reconcile itself to the darkest chapters of its history. It’s also a story of how those events might be used to breathe new life into a struggling community.

Joe Womack (photo credit, Mike Kittrell, Birmingham Times)

Revisited: AfricaTown, USA (1 of 2)

In observance of Black History Month we’ve re-edited the opening and closing thoughts to these two episodes, first published back in September of 2019. A lot has happened since they were first published, but the conversation and the history contained in these episodes is as relevant now as ever:

Now part of Mobile, Alabama, AfricaTown was founded by survivors of the last slave ship to bring Africans to the US. The shipwreck was discovered in 2019. Joe Womack (USMC-ret) was born and raised there and is now leading a fight to prevent its ongoing exploitation and pollution by toxic industries. It’s a story that goes to the heart, not only of the Deep South, but of America’s failure to reconcile itself to the darkest chapters of its history. It’s also a story of how those events might be used to breathe new life into a struggling community.

Joe Womack (photo credit Carol Adams-Davis)

Episode 48: AfricaTown, Alabama (Part 2 of 2)

In this second of a two-part conversation I talk to Major Joe Womack (USMC-retired) about AfricaTown. Now part of Mobile, Alabama, AfricaTown was founded by survivors of the last slave ship to bring Africans to the US. And the shipwreck was just discovered in 2019. Joe Womack was born and raised there and now he is leading a fight to prevent its ongoing exploitation and pollution by toxic industries. It’s a story that goes to the heart, not only of the Deep South, but of America’s failure to reconcile itself to the darkest chapters of its history. It’s also a story of how those events might be used to breathe new life into a struggling community.

Joe Womack (photo credit, Mike Kittrell, Birmingham Times)

C.H.E.S.S. community foundation for AfricaTown, Alabama

Episode 47: Last Slave Ship to the US (1 of 2)

In this first of a two-part conversation I talk to Major Joe Womack (USMC-retired) about AfricaTown. Now part of Mobile, Alabama, AfricaTown was founded by survivors of the last slave ship to bring Africans to the US. And the shipwreck was just discovered in 2019. Joe Womack was born and raised there and now he is leading a fight to prevent its ongoing exploitation and pollution by toxic industries. It’s a story that goes to the heart, not only of the Deep South, but of America’s failure to reconcile itself to the darkest chapters of its history. It’s also a story of how those events might be used to breathe new life into a struggling community.

Joe Womack (photo credit Carol Adams-Davis)

C.H.E.S.S. community foundation, AfricaTown, Alabama