I want to put the spotlight for a moment on a very cool gal named Carolina Saca.  She reached out to me after the END DEMAND Concert Benefit and Album Release my band and I did in February and asked if we could play this special benefit May 4th called Raise Her Voice. Raise Her Voice is a picnic, Chastain Concert style benefit concert benefiting Girl Up – United Nations Foundation, and Girl Up is an organization that helps empower marginalized young girls in developing nations- Ethiopia, Malawi, Liberia, and Guatemala.  She’s teamed up with the Global Citizenship Program at her school at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School to organize it as part of her Global Citizenship Senior Capstone Project.

Of course we said yes, and I’ve been consistently impressed with this gal’s heart, organizational skills, and constant communication throughout the planning of the event. As most activists and event organizers know, planning fundraisers is quite the daunting task and she’s done it with professionalism, great resources, prompt and timely responses, and a sunny spirit to boot!  I’ve been SO encouraged at the passion and enthusiasm that’s displayed in individuals like her.  She put her energy to something so worthwhile and that is something to be applauded and admired.

There’s even a compilation MP3 of local artists participating in the event to be sold for further proceeds at the benefit.  My song “Beautiful” will be included on it.  See the poster below.

Details on the entire event can be found on the following links:

Information on Raise Her Voice

Buy Ticket Link

Facebook Event

If you’re in the Atlanta area, come join us this Friday May 4th at Heritage Sandy Springs Entertainment Lawn for a great cause!  Tickets are just $15 and can be purchased in advance on the buy ticket link above, or at the gate.  Bring a picnic, some lawn chairs, or a blanket, and enjoy a great outdoor concert.  Doors open at 6 PM, Music starts at 7 PM, and includes a great line-up of local artists.  The band and I will go on around 8 PM.

(Hand made bracelets from survivors at Wellspring Living)

My heart is about to burst, overflowing with love, joy, hope, and all that I’m taking in these days.  I’m meeting people from all different walks of life, both physically in my travels and in seemingly random messages on Facebook and Twitter.  Now that I’m home (for now), it makes me appreciate the familiar and the people I am in touch with that much more.  My world has continued to expand and I’m grateful for every chance encounter and opportunity.

My first show back home was for a special group of people, and I certainly did not take this lightly.  You may be familiar with Wellspring Living, a local ATL organization that takes in former victims of child sex trafficking or adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse.  They have a great program to help these girls heal, be restored and become productive members of society.  I was asked to play for a small fundraiser held for some of these girls and got to meet them, see all the wonderful things they had crafted and made, goods to be bought and the funds to go back to such a worthy cause.  I am consistently blown away by Wellspring Living’s work and got to see firsthand the good that comes out of such therapeutic and restorative programs.  It isn’t easy by any means for all involved, but their program is life-giving and I do believe their moniker is a truly appropriate name for what they do.

Good news is that there’s also a new program out that will allow you to give directly to helping these girls!  An organization called HopeMob is now working with Wellspring Living to bless the very girls in their program.  Check out this link to learn more about their Give Hope Initiative.  Every item you buy goes directly back to helping the girls, so you know you’ll have a personal impact! Please support them.  There is ALWAYS a need for resources to continue to provide for each girl in the program.

We also recognize the need to provide the same hope for girls in developing nations as well, so check out the Raise Her Voice Benefit Concert my band and I will be playing this Friday evening.  There’s a Facebook link to RSVP and get more info as well.  Hope you can join us!  More on that event and another special individual tomorrow…

I met Shyan this past trip to Europe when my husband was working in England.  He reached out to me on Facebook a few weeks ago after he found my song “21st Century Creature” on youtube.  Not only did my music resonate with him, his FB profile caught my interest as well when I saw that he worked for a government supported charity in Birmingham called One Aim Mix Studio to help socially disadvantaged youth.  Given that part of my work as an anti-trafficking activist is to help at risk youth, this was a great opportunity to connect with some like-minded people.

Like most independent artists, I’m always delighted when someone discovers my music on a whim and contacts me for such positive feedback.  I was floored though, at the next thing he wrote in his initial Facebook message. He mentioned he was from Birmingham UK and asked when I would be touring there.  If you believe that the heavens often align to bring about synchronicity, this would certainly be one of those events.  I just HAPPENED to be leaving for Birmingham UK to be with my husband that next week or so.  While it wasn’t for music, we kept in touch about possibly playing there or working with some of the students in his program.

We met several times over the course of those weeks, only interrupted by my trip to Italy.  I came back, and while this time around a show didn’t work out, I was absolutely thrilled to be able to work with one of the students there in the program this last week.  His name is Kaine, and I got to interview him as an American to a Brit, get to know a little of the youth culture as well as talk about the differences between Americans and the British.  We found that we really aren’t so different and that much ties us together universally.  I’ll post that interview soon…

I’ve gotten to know several of the staff and learned more about the organization as well.  Like many government funded organizations, much of that funding has been cut over recent years and they are in need of more to be able to continue and hopefully expand in the future.  Their work keeps the kids motivated, interested in learning about music and media, and is direly needed to keep them off the streets and out of gangs and other issues.  The program also educates them to be able to work out in the world when conventional schooling is not an option.  Check out their website here.

Here are a few photos of what I call the guys with the big hearts.  Shyan and Brian are on the far left and far right, respectively, while Kaine is to my immediate right:

With Shyan.  So much of our bonding was over the state of music and social issues…

Hi Friends, I realize it’s been a while since my last post.  I’ve been on a restful and fun holiday since the hubby’s been working here in several European countries.  I’ve got a few exciting new shows and performances I’ll be involved with in the next few weeks.

But first, I just have to add video from some Italian students I was delighted to meet while waiting for a museum admission in Florence, Italy.  I have always loved youth, even more so when they come from a different culture.  My hubby and I were blown away by their warmth, energy, and eager curiosity to speak with us!  They also shared a few songs for our enjoyment.

First, a song in English:

En italiano:

To my new Italian friends, THANK YOU for your amazing spirit, and for sharing in song with me!  You don’t know how much this encourages and energizes me, considering the work I do as an activist.  I come up on disturbing and evil things every day in my research, and meeting you all is truly a breath of fresh air.  You bring a lot of hope, which is what we need.  Never lose that energy and zest for life…

Amici, per favore, feel free to tag yourselves in these videos!  Ciao!

Here are a few pics from last month’s END DEMAND Benefit & CD Release at The Drunken Unicorn:

The band and I had an absolute blast, and looking forward to the next one!  We were so glad to raise funds and awareness to make A Future. Not a Past. and Street GRACE more visible in their work to address the demand side of trafficking in GA.  We’ll continue to rally behind the cause.  We also have connected with some great new people for potential new projects to further our work against the commercial & sexual exploitation of children.

Among other news, the new CD The Human Condition is now out and available online!  You can either buy it as a physical CD, (complete with a booklet of lyrics, credits & artwork) or digitally on CD Baby or on iTunes.

If you missed the benefit, the band and I have another show coming up at the Red Light Cafe March 24th at 8 PM sharp.  Can’t wait to keep bringing these new songs to life on stage…

Here’s a news story from WSB TV about spotlighting the johns, the focus behind our new campaign to END DEMAND.  Posted by one of our sponsors A Future. Not a Past.

As I said in my last post, I believe men need to be educated on ending demand.  While women can certainly be accomplices to perpetrators, men (and specifically buyers) are the driving force behind the enslavement of underage trafficking victims.

View our PSA on addressing buyers.

After connecting with many who are dedicated abolitionists of sex slavery, I have found that up until recently the supporters of this cause have largely been women.  That’s natural, because as women we have a natural empathy for the victims who have been forced into this lifestyle.  But there have been far less men, due to a number of reasons.  Lack of education is a big part of it.  There is a huge disconnect between what is really happening in the trafficking industry and what is largely viewed as a permissible, choice driven line of work called prostitution.  On the other hand, the small minority of men who are interested in helping us fight the issue have had few resources available.

That’s all beginning to change.  But we need your help.  Here’s a great article on how men can begin to fight human trafficking this year.

If you’re a local Atlantan, you can tangibly be involved in two ways:

• Sign up for the Feb 1st Lobby Day at the GA Capitol as a volunteer.  Be a voice for your local senator or rep to hear how important this issue is to you.
• Attend the END DEMAND Concert to benefit A Future. Not a Past. and Street GRACE Feb 23rd at The Drunken Unicorn.  (Admission includes a free download card of “Dear John”.) Both AFNAP and SG are great organizations that are committed to fighting the commercial and sexual exploitation of children.

I’m also honored to be playing a set and speaking a little on the subject at both of the above events.  Come on out with your support – I’d love to meet you!

If you’re outside Atlanta, you can begin a dialogue by circulating the PSA to people you know, namely men, that would be interested in learning more.  Every post and share will make a difference.

When I first found out about the rampant prevalence of child sex trafficking in Atlanta over 3 years ago, my reaction mirrored a lot of my local comrades: Shock, disbelief, and a newly formed resolve to address this issue close to home.  No longer the distant horror we imagined in third world countries, many of us were galvanized to do something about it.  I found myself selling special editions of my first album “Roots” to raise funds, volunteer and run in races, supported initiatives for at risk youth.  I even performed in Not for Sale Campaign GA‘s Season of Freedom to encourage people to buy fair trade goods produced by survivors.

Fast forward to 2010.  At the same time I was working on songs for my new album, I attended a holiday event for Street GRACE, one of the many local organizations battling this issue. I asked Executive Director Cheryl Deluca-Johnson what the focus was and she said it was “to go after the johns”.  It was one of those light bulb moments that got me thinking as she further described the demand fueling the industry.  Get rid of the demand, cripple the industry.

I then began to put pen to paper for a new song, and the result is “Dear John”.  Probably one of the hardest songs I’ve ever written, and I’ve actually written a song about trafficking before.  But I really wanted to communicate my heart on the issue to bring the buyers, and men, into the forefront.  In the year that’s lapsed since that conversation, I’ve been heartened and honored to see it used in a public service announcement and as part of an upcoming benefit to begin to be a part of the END DEMAND movement.

View the PSA here.

I’ve since educated myself further by going to training events, reading The Johns: Sex For Sale And the Men Who Buy It by Victor Malarek and learning statistics from A Future. Not a Past. that 7,200 men are both knowingly and unknowingly purchasing sex from adolescent girls each month in Georgia – about 300 each day.

It’s my belief that to stop the trafficking of underage children, and protect victims as well as help survivors, men need to be educated on ending demand.  In the coming weeks, more information is going to be revealed to show just how to do that.

Look out for the single release of “Dear John” in February, followed by the new album “The Human Condition” at the END DEMAND Benefit Concert and online everywhere after that.