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Today is National Day of Racial Healing in the United States, where communities discuss racial healing, equity, and justice. The Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) recognizes the intersection between racial bias and human trafficking, which is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to compel a person into commercial sex acts or labor against their will, as defined by U.S. law. According to the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, “Racism, xenophobia, and discrimination against minority groups and indigenous people are root causes of human trafficking in persons and lead to egregious failures of protection…When gender discrimination intersects with racism and xenophobia, victims suffer even more.” 

The U.S. Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons acknowledges that there are discriminatory government policies and practices in place that create disparities in access to economic means or opportunities that traffickers then exploit. The lack of resources to combat the racial wealth gap, family separations, redlining, and harsh immigration policies make minorities targets for human trafficking. The result is statistics like this: In Louisiana, Black girls account for approximately 49% of child sex trafficking victims, although Black girls only comprise approximately 19% of Louisiana’s youth population. 

Junior Leagues across the country are raising their voices against the crisis of human trafficking 

Human trafficking affects an estimated 24.9 million people. While January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking  Prevention Month in the United States, more than 40 Junior Leagues work year-round to raise awareness of human trafficking.  

Leagues also go beyond building awareness and help support anti-trafficking legislation. Over the last 15 years, and continuing today, League coalitions have worked to pass more than 25 different pieces of anti-trafficking legislation, primarily at the state and local levels. Six State Public Affairs Committees in addition to individual Leagues including the Junior League of Tampa, the Junior League of Montclair-Newark, the Junior League of Birmingham, and the Junior League of Lafayette have worked alongside law enforcement, government officials, anti-trafficking organizations, and other community change-makers to accomplish this.  

In fact, the Junior League of Montclair-Newark is hosting a virtual event on Tuesday, February 22 at 7:30 p.m. featuring Covenant House New Jersey’s work providing care to survivors of human trafficking.  

We ask you to do one simple thing today: share this article with someone else and open a conversation on the connections of human trafficking and racial bias.  

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December is a big month for philanthropy. One third of annual giving takes place in December, and 12 percent of all giving happens in the last three days of the year! Almost a third of nonprofits raise as much as 50 percent of their funding by December 15. With so many worthwhile nonprofit organizations, competition for charitable donations can be fierce. Unfortunately, organizations like The Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) and our 295 Member Leagues face challenges in securing an equitable piece of the philanthropic pie. While issues affecting women and girls continue to get more attention in the media, the organizations working to support women and girls represent the smallest area of philanthropic support—less than two percent. Reasons for this trend have to do in part with who gives and how they choose to give. 

There is a difference between how men and women give

According to Laura Gilman, Chief of Staff, SVP Strategic Partnerships at AJLI, “Women want to establish a relationship with organizations they give to. They want transformative experiences not transactional.” This way of thinking about giving—as well as giving based on values, empathy, and impact—is what makes a difference for organizations like ours. Unfortunately, women don’t make charitable investments as often as men do. Fidelity Charitable’s 2021 Annual Giving report points to research showing that women are less confident than men when it comes to managing investments. There is also a gap in men and women’s understanding of advanced charitable planning.

You can change this pattern

Like hundreds of thousands of Junior League women, you may choose to give by sharing your time with communities and organizations. This form of giving is so important. At the same time, we hope more women will feel confident and educated about managing charitable investments. “Women and their contributions are the future of the Junior League,” says Gilman. 

A great resource for finding charities that support the causes that matter to you most is Charity Navigator. 

This holiday season, as you spend time with loved ones and reflect on the things you hold most dear, we hope you will also consider giving in a meaningful way to support a Junior League in your community.

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If you or someone you know is experiencing intimate partner violence, please visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline or call 1-800-799-SAFE(7233)

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On September 8, 2022, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) celebrated International Literacy Day under the theme “Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces.” This theme is an opportunity for each of us to ensure quality, equitable, and inclusive spaces that promote literacy and learning.

Literacy has long been an important issue for Junior Leagues, and this community work is part of The Association of Junior League International’s impact area focused on Advancing Childhood Education. According to Reading is Fundamental (RIF), 25 million children in the United States cannot read proficiently. If you’re wondering how you can help close the literacy gap, start by generating awareness and a sense of urgency around this issue in your community. Then make sure to use resources like (RIF)’s interactive digital library for educators, children, and families—a carefully curated digital library of interactive books and educational videos designed for young readers.

National Hispanic Heritage Month provides an opportunity to discover and celebrate Hispanic authors

September also marks the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States. From September 15 to October 15, Americans recognize the history, culture, contributions, and achievements of our Latinx and Hispanic communities who have inspired others to achieve success.

One way we can honor and learn more about Hispanic culture, as well as promote literacy, is to read books by Hispanic authors with the children around us. The Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) is excited to bring an intersectional lens to these two celebrations by offering a list of books by Hispanic authors that can be shared to help the next generation build awareness.

Books for younger readers:

• 90 Miles to Havana by Enrique Flores-Galbis 
• Dolores Huerta: Get to Know the Voice of Migrant Workers by Robert Liu-Trujillo 
• Dreams from Many Rivers: A Hispanic History of the United States Told in Poems by Margarita Engle 
• Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes by Juan Felipe Herrera 

Books for older readers:

• Undocumented: A Dominican Boy’s Odyssey From a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy League by Dan-el Padilla Peralta 
• Finding Latinx: In Search of the Voices Redefining Latino Identity by Paola Ramos 
• I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala by Rigoberta Menchú, translated by Ann Wright 
• Once I Was You: A Memoir by Maria Hinojosa 

• Our America: A Hispanic History of the United States by Felipe Fernández-Armesto  

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Junior Leagues were at the forefront of suffrage work

The Junior League of St. Louis was the first to join the fight for women’s suffrage. After suffrage for women failed to pass in 1914, Junior League of St. Louis Members decided to combine their passion for service with the necessity of advocacy. When St. Louis hosted the 1916 Democratic National Convention, suffragists, including women from the Junior League of St. Louis, staged a “walkless, talkless parade.” More than 7,000 women wearing yellow sashes and carrying yellow parasols lined the route delegates had to pass to reach the hall. It was a memorable statement, and the Democrats voted to include a plank for women’s suffrage—the first time a national party had declared support for the issue.

The 19^th Amendment only prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex

Unfortunately, the 19^th Amendment did not protect other intersections of identities from being discriminated against. It would be decades before Women of Color could vote—and yet many still played a valuable role in the suffrage effort. For Black women, the struggle for suffrage continued until the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. American-born Native women did not even gain citizenship until 1924, four years after the 19^th Amendment was adopted. While Native-born Asian Americans did have U.S. citizenship in 1920, Asian American immigrant women weren’t permitted to vote until the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act allowed them to gain citizenship.

Even after gaining the right to vote, all of these groups faced voter suppression tactics including literacy tests, voter ID requirements, poll taxes, and intimidation. A 1975 extension of the Voting Rights Act aimed to prohibit discrimination against citizens who have limited proficiency with the English language, but voter suppression tactics are still alive and well today.

Ways to honor the women who fought for the right to vote

You can recognize the fight for the 19^th Amendment and celebrate Women’s Equality Day, while holding space for those it failed to include. Virtual events surrounding Women’s Equality Day are a fun way to expand your education on the women’s suffrage movement. The National Women’s History Museum is hosting a virtual discussion, Disability Justice and the Vote, on August 28, about how the fight for the right to vote continues today for women in the disability justice community. They are also holding a virtual salon, Mapping Suffrage, The Push for the 19^th Amendment in Washington DC, on August 17, which explores the people and places in DC that bring the story of suffrage to life.

As a Junior League Member, you can join Public Affairs Committees (PACs), State Public Affairs Committees (SPACs), and Legislative Issues Committees (LICs) to amplify your voice. These are individual, apolitical Junior Leagues or coalitions of Junior Leagues within a state that form to educate and take action on public policy issues relevant to The Junior League Mission. SPACs, PACs, and LICs were developed in order to influence public policy on specific issues within a particular geographic area, such as a state, a county, or a city.

Most importantly, get out the vote! For decades, Junior Leagues have partnered with non-partisan organizations in their communities to get citizens registered and ready to vote. There’s no better way to increase the power of women’s voices and to honor the suffragists who fought for your right to vote. Continue the legacy by encouraging others to vote.

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Technology is a double-edged sword

July 30^th is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. This year’s theme is “use and abuse of technology.” The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) describes technology as “a tool that can both enable and impede human trafficking.” The global expansion in the use of technology, heightened by Covid-19, has allowed traffickers more opportunities to recruit, exploit, and control victims. Through technology, traffickers can operate internationally with ease, particularly through social media and online platforms, and avoid getting caught. Traffickers also benefit from crisis situations, especially the desperation and chaos of women and children separated from their support systems.

At the same time, technology is a valuable tool for law enforcement, the criminal justice system, and others to fight human trafficking. It can aid investigations by exposing trafficking networks, assist prosecutions by providing digital evidence, and lend support services to human trafficking survivors. Sharing resources, like the UNODC’s internet safety tips, on how to use the internet and social media safely helps reduce the risk of people becoming victims of online trafficking.

Collaboration is key to ending human trafficking

As a global organization, The Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) has a long history of fighting to end human trafficking.  For more than 15 years, Junior Leagues have joined forces with law enforcement, government officials, anti-trafficking organizations and other community change-makers to raise awareness about human trafficking, advocate for the passage of anti-trafficking legislation, and support survivors.

To-date, 50-plus Junior Leagues have joined the fight against human trafficking. League coalitions have worked to pass more than 25 different pieces of anti-trafficking legislation, primarily at the state and local level.

There’s more you can do to prevent and reduce human trafficking

In addition to raising awareness about World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, you can join the UNODC’s social media challenge to show your support for frontline workers committed to ending human trafficking. You can also read our blog post about the nonprofit organization Polaris—and even sign up for their free human trafficking training—to learn more about how you can prevent and reduce human trafficking.

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That’s why The Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) recently prioritized maternal mental health an issue area within our Impact Areas, “Improving Health Outcomes and Disparities.” Even before this, however, Junior Leagues have been working to support maternal mental health, particularly through our State Public Affairs Committees (SPAC) over the last decade. SPACs are individual, apolitical Junior Leagues or coalitions of Junior Leagues within a state that form to educate and take action on public policy issues relevant to the Junior League Mission. They are involved in some of today’s most pressing issues. Many SPACs chose their areas of interest based on the issues that their individual Leagues are tackling, the needs of the state, or the opportunities to advocate for or against legislation.

Advocating for maternal mental health in California

Beginning in 2009, the California SPAC (CalSPAC) used legislative advocacy to influence the practice of health agencies, change the stigma around maternal mental health conditions, and encourage their legislature to recognize the severity of maternal mental health issues. Over three years, they introduced one bill and two resolutions, which urged health care stakeholders to invest resources to educate women about perinatal depression risk factors and triggers. The leaders of CalSPAC at that time created the California Maternal Mental Health Collaborative, now 2020 Mom, which became a separate nonprofit. CalSPAC supported the 2020 Mom’s sponsored ACR 148(Lowenthal)(Chaptered 2014), which created the State Commission on the Status of Maternal Mental Health Care.

CalSPAC also utilized community advocacy to influence public opinion and create a grassroots public education campaign. While the Junior League of Los Angeles developed the “Speak Up When You’re Down” social media campaign, the Junior League of San Francisco expanded upon it by holding community panels and distributing materials to community partners, baby and maternity stores and partnering with a variety of organizations. The SPAC format allowed multiple Leagues to collaborate to translate their work to a larger context. In 2015, CalSPAC won the inaugural AJLI Public Policy and Advocacy Award for their work in the maternal mental health space. This work was instrumental in bringing maternal mental health to the forefront once again in CA as well as at the Association, and we are proud to have advanced this work forward.

Continuing maternal mental health advocacy in New Jersey

The New Jersey SPAC (NJ SPAC) has also been a driving force in pushing forward legislation and public awareness around maternal mental health in their state. They have prioritized including the intersection of race along with mental health in tackling this issue, as there are wide racial disparities surrounding maternal mental health care. In 2021, NJ SPAC helped to pass bill A1079/S703, which requires health care professionals and support staff that provide perinatal and maternity care to take evidence-based implicit bias training. This includes hospitals providing in-patient maternity services, birthing centers, medical offices providing perinatal treatment and care, and requires licensing boards to also offer training programs. This work is essential in prioritizing and embedding diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging into all of the impact that we have. The NJ SPAC prioritized adding equity into the mix through this legislation in order to ensure that all mothers have the support that they need.

Expanding maternal mental health advocacy work

There are many ways to advocate for maternal mental health without being involved in a SPAC or by engaging in legislative advocacy. Public awareness is a substantial portion of advocacy—normalizing conversations around topics like maternal mental health that have long been considered taboo is a first powerful step toward progress. Consider having these conversations for the first time with your friends and relatives. Consider collaborating with your fellow League members, and possibly other Leagues who are similarly interested in this issue.

Maternal mental health conditions will continue to remain a priority for Junior Leagues until it is universally recognized and de-stigmatized.

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