A STORYCORPS STUDIOS SPECIAL COLLECTION

As part of the Voices of Freedom initiative, the Office on Trafficking in Persons partnered with StoryCorps Studios to collect oral histories through conversations with those who have informed, shaped, and contributed to the successes of the anti-trafficking field over the past two decades.

To learn more contact: [email protected]

Creating social change on entrenched issues like human trafficking takes decades and often requires sustained vigilance across generations.  Our collaboration with StoryCorps provides a platform for survivors and allied professionals to pause, reflect, and share their personal journeys towards progress over the last 20 years.  Just as legacies of historical injustices contribute to human trafficking today, these stories reveal the influences and lessons learned from intergenerational struggles for justice.

— Katherine Chon, Director of the Office on Trafficking in Persons

All Voices of Freedom Interviews

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42:54
Ronny Marty and Bukola Oriola

Ronny Marty (45) and his friend and colleague Bukola Oriola (44) talk about Ronny's upbringing in the Dominican Republic and the memories he has of his father. Ronny shares about his experience being labor trafficked out of the Dominican Republic...

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40:10
Katherine Chon, Kum Chon, and Michael Chon

Katherine Chon [no age given] reflects with her parents, Kum Hee Chon [no age given] and Michael Chon [no age given], on the years that have passed from career choices to family history, and so on.

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47:00
Florrie Burke and Susan Champlin

Susan Champlin (60) interviews her friend Florrie Burke (78) about her experience working with the deaf community as a teacher and clinical psychologist and later working in the anti-trafficking field.

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38:51
Iona Rudisill and Ben Abell

Colleagues Iona Rudisill (50) and Ben Abell (61) discuss the creation of the Araminta Freedom Initiative, an organization against child sex trafficking. They reflect on faith's role in the organization's creation, vision, and values.

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27:06
Christine Buchholz and Carla Bury

Christine Lee Buchholz (47) interviews her former colleague, Carla Menares Bury (54), about her work in the anti-trafficking field. Carla reflects on her experience from attending the first white house summit on human trafficking in 1999 to negotiating a United...

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41:04
Katherine Chon and Kimberly Casey

Colleagues Katherine Chon [no age given] and Kimberly Casey [no age given] talk about their work in human trafficking, reflecting on important lessons they have learned along the way, proud moments in the work, and hopes for the future.

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31:39
Jess Torres and Susie Baldwin

Jess Torres (35) talks with their friend, colleague and mentor, Dr. Susie Baldwin (54), about their work in anti-trafficking and the vision they have for how the work should evolve. Jess talks about some of their mentors, shares proud moments...

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35:25
Keisha Head and Diamond Jasmanae

Keisha Head (41) and her daughter Diamond Blount (25) talk about their relationship and how they have grown through Keisha's experience adapting to life after prison.

Andy Hall and Katherine Chon talk about forced labor in the global healthcare supply chain

In recognition of Labor Day, Katherine Chon, Director of the Office on Trafficking in Persons at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Andy Hall, a Migrant Worker Rights Specialist, spoke about forced labor in Malaysia’s rubber glove...

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41:50
Benjamin Adriano and Katherine Chon

Colleagues Benjamin Adriano [no age given] is interviewed by Katherine Chon [no age given] about his work in the Human Trafficking Leadership Conference, his experience as a survivor of labor trafficking, and his plans for his career.

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57:10
Shanika Ampah and Nathan Earl

Friends Nathan Earl (46) and Shanika Ampah (41) discuss how they each came to the anti-trafficking field, their individual stories of being trafficked, what they hope to see in the ant-trafficking field, and how they would like to pass on...

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39:41
Fainess Lipenga and Marga Fripp

Marga Fripp (47) interviews her friend Fainess Lipenga (42) about her experience being trafficked, what it was like returning to Malawi after ten years, are her work in the anti-trafficking field.

Ana Cody and Kimberly Casey

Kimberly Casey interviews her colleague Ana Cody about her efforts to prevent and respond to human trafficking among youth who are experiencing homelessness.

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45:18
Lauren Devine and Jordan Greenbaum

Friends and colleagues Lauren Devine [no age given] and Jordan Greenbaum [no age given] share their varying experience working with victims of human trafficking.

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42:03
Paola Sanchez Valdez and Kate Cooper

Kate Cooper (35) interviews her colleague Paola Sanchez Valdez (25) about her community organizing work with migrant farm workers in Virginia. Paola discusses how she got started in her work, how her work has changed in the midst of COVID-19,...

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41:45
Katherine Chon and Catherine Pierce

Katherine Chon [no age given] interviews her colleague Catherine Pierce [no age given] about her work in the criminal justice system, with the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and in the anti-trafficking movement.

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01:32:48
Chris Smith and Katherine Chon

On the 20th anniversary of passing the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, Representative Chris Smith (68) speaks with his colleague in anti-trafficking work, Katherine Chon [no age given] about his role in writing and passing the bill. He talks about how...

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40:54
Meredith Dank and Amy Farrell

Friends and research colleagues Dr. Meredith Dank [no age given] and Dr. Amy Farrell (48) talk about the complexities of anti-trafficking work and the discoveries they have made in their research on human trafficking. They talk about the methods used...

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43:53
Eric Harris and Kate Kimmer

Eric Harris [no age given] talks to his friend and mentor, Kate Kimmer [no age given] about the realities of being a survivor of trafficking and engaging in anti-trafficking work. The two talk about the importance of including survivors in...

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50:01
Karen Countryman-Roswurm and Ashley Garrett

Friends and colleagues Karen Countryman-Roswurm (40) and Ashley Garrett (47) discuss how their lives have been different than what they expected, their impact on the anti-trafficking field, and what the future holds for them.

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54:16
Shannon Sigamoni and Wilnisha Sutton

Shannon Sigamoni (28) interviews her friend and colleague Wilnisha Sutton (33) about Wilnisha's work in the anti-trafficking field, her advice to people wishing to join the field, and how she thinks the field has progressed over the past 20 years.