A difficult topic to discuss- the commercial sexual exploitation of our children

We give power to the continuance of community problems when we do not discuss them.

As members of our community, we can impact our community by talking about difficult topics.

A couple of years ago, I became aware of a huge problem facing my community - the commercial sale of children for sexual acts. I understand that it is a disgusting, difficult topic to discuss, but it is one that maintains its power over us by our silence.

Approximately 500 children or more are sold for sexual acts in my community each month. A recent study revealed that 47% of those soliciting children for sex acts lived in north Metro Atlanta. It is a staggering problem that we MUST become informed about and take action on.

These children are often as young as 11 or 12, and the biggest misconception is that this issue does not impact us directly. These children are OUR children, kids without the voice to advocate for themselves. And this is where we come in.

Last night, PBS debuted the allegorical tale of "The Candy Shop" which demonstrates some of the issues involving CSEC (commercial sexual exploitation of children). In the post show discussion on air, PBS interviewed a CSEC survivor and advocates - legislative and community - who are openly and passionately voicing the dimensions of the issue and how you can become involved.

I am linking the online program through PBS here, along with a fact sheet distributed by the Governor's Office for Children and Families, so that you too can share your awareness of the issue and how we can be the vocal advocates for our children.

We can all be community advocates, and it begins with being informed about the issue and discussing it openly with our communities.

Five specific things that you can do to become involved include:

1. Writing your legislator to tell them that you care about this issue and ask them to discuss it with their colleagues. Then, they can take action as well.

2. Discuss what you have learned with your families, your co-workers, and your communities. As uncomfortable as the topic might be to discuss, your voice is the voice of those who cannot talk openly about it.

3. Participate in Capitol Days advocating on this issue.

4. If you live in Georgia and you suspect that a child is being sold for sexual acts, then contact the Georgia Care Connection at 404-602-0068.

5. Contribute to the Safety Gap Fund (in Georgia) that provides victim services for children who have been prostituted for commercial profit.

Female Role Models - Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my mother's 70th birthday!
To honor what a wonderful role model she has been for me, I wanted to share 7 things that she has taught me...
1. Sunday best is called Sunday best for a reason. Dress up when you are going to church.
2. Proper grammar is important. Speak it, model it, and correct it. Then, your children will learn it.
3. Treat everyone equally. A conversation with the clerk at the grocery store is just as meaningful as the one you have with the CEO of a business corporation.
4. Manners are an art form that need to be learned and practiced.
5. Everyone deserves a second chance.
6. Being a good mother and wife is perhaps the most important job that one can have...and the hardest.
7. In order to impact your community, you have to be a part of it. Be active, be visible, and be carefully engaged.

My mother has never met a bridge game she didn't love, a stranger she did not smile warmly to, or a child that did not melt her heart. She has been an active citizen in her community all of her life: giving back by doing community clean ups, supportive civic club meetings, and volunteering at a second hand clothing shop. But, if you ask her neighbors what they see her doing most, it would probably be walking the dog around the neighborhood and stopping to chat with all the people she encounters...bragging about her grandchildren, her children, and her friends.

She has taught me so much, and I am so very thankful that she has been my role model of how to be the best wife, mother and friend that I can be.

So, who is your female role model? and have you thanked them for what they have taught you? To honor my mother's 70th birthday, please reach out to that person and thank them for how they have inspired you!

The Art of Negotiation - Martin Luther King Jr.

This week, and on the day where we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I return to teaching again after a week of snow holidays. I am thrilled to be teaching a class in negotiation and conflict resolution for the first time at my college, nestled in the home on the (US) Civil Rights Movement!

We will begin with the art of negotiation, something that I observed when interviewing the subjects for my book, Sinn Fein Women.

A good negotiator is a listener and an even better observer.

Negotiation is often about getting to the heart of the underlying issues in conflict, rather than debating the positions that one brings to the table.

Being disingenuous is counter-productive. Trying to be something that you are not is disingenuous. Feeling entitled will not achieve success either.

The art of negotiation is a delicate process of acknowledging what you bring to the table and what other stakeholders do as well. The limits of conflict resolution are made by the parameters of set expectations, but the goals of conflict resolution are defined in the process itself.

On this Martin Luther King Jr Day, I pause to think about the goals he set for our society - the truth and equality that he sought, the openness he pursued, and the content of character that he displayed in the pursuit of social justice and peace.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. "  -MLK Jr.

 So, let the content of our character guide our negotiations, for it will be revealed in our endeavors.