endhumantrafficking

Today we will be talking with Chris Russell from Destiny Rescue. We will be discussing what Chris does with DR and what DR is doing around the world to save children out of sex trafficking, the fastest growing criminal activity in the world.

Donate to Destiny Rescue
Click here
 
It takes 1,500 dollars to save one child from sex trafficking's.
That's $125 a month. Please consider saving a child this year and become a rescue partner.

Want to learn more about what they do:
www.destinyrescue.org

A huge thank you to Chris Russell for joining us, and opening our eyes to this social issue. 

In our 5th Episode in our Breaking Distance series "On Race, Art and Everything In-Between", a collection of conversations focusing on investigating the systemic racism plaguing our world today. We are creating a space to uplift diverse communities while spotlighting people of color changing and shaping our world through philanthropy, the arts and activism. This episode features London Based Artist, Journalist and Filmmaker Darnell Christie. We approach being Black in media and what that experience feels like, his upbringing in London, what inspires him to create, his Vlog series “Black in Colombia” and his podcast “Darnell Responds”. 

More About Darnell

Darnell Christie is a freelance multimedia journalist focusing on international development issues and a filmmaker with a passion for understanding people’s perspectives and telling their stories.

Follow Darnell on Social Media:

https://www.instagram.com/darnell_christie/

https://twitter.com/darnellchristie

https://www.facebook.com/thedarnellchristie

Watch "Black in Colombia"

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC04Z55Zj3gCPWr5dFmQY4Iw

Listen to "Darnell Responds"

https://www.buzzsprout.com/883435

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ANTI-TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATION BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM AT:

https://beautyforfreedom.org/











BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM MISSION STATEMENT



Art Therapy. Education. Empowerment. This is how we help survivors of human trafficking. We support recovery through creativity and skills training. We nurture our youth by removing potential stigmas surrounding self-expression, legitimizing their ideas, hopes, and dreams. In light of the COVID-19 global pandemic, we realize it’s our time to step up. Using the platform we’ve built to usher in change in the lives of people across the globe, we hope to help the world heal in this time of crisis. Here’s to paying it forward.

In our 4th Episode in our Breaking Distance series "On Race, Art and Everything In-Between", a collection of conversations focusing on investigating the systemic racism plaguing our world today. We are creating a space to uplift diverse communities while spotlighting people of color changing and shaping our world through philanthropy, the arts and activism. This episode features Lisa Dent, the Executive Director of Artspace New Haven, a visionary and dynamic non-profit organization championing emerging artists and building new audiences for contemporary art. Lisa speaks about her experiences as a curator, Executive Director, gallery owner and woman of color in the art world and the challenges she's faced along with the triumph and hope.

More About Lisa 

Lisa Dent’s curatorial roles in national museums and galleries, along with a multi-disciplinary nonprofit arts background, make her uniquely qualified to lead Artspace.  Previously, Dent was the Artistic Director for Converge45, a nonprofit organization that provides a curatorial platform for the visual arts in Portland, Oregon.  Prior to joining Converge45, Dent was Director of Resources & Award Programs at Creative Capital (2012-2017), leading the national nonprofit’s financial and advisory services programs and supporting artists towards the full realization of their projects.  As Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at the Columbus Museum of Art in Ohio, Dent attracted resources for and organized exhibitions including Stephanie Syjuco: Pattern Migration, Currents: Latifa Echakhch and Supply & Demand.  Earlier, she was a Helena Rubenstein Fellow at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and held curatorial staff positions at the New Museum of Contemporary Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. She was director of the Friedrich Petzel Gallery in New York, and for several years owned and managed Lisa Dent Gallery in San Francisco (2004-2009), where she presented the work of emerging and mid-career international artists. Dent received her B.F.A. in History of Art from Howard University, and received her M.F.A. from New York University.

Support Artspace New Haven

https://artspacenewhaven.org/

https://www.instagram.com/artspacenh/

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ANTI-TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATION BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM AT:

https://beautyforfreedom.org/











BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM MISSION STATEMENT



Art Therapy. Education. Empowerment. This is how we help survivors of human trafficking. We support recovery through creativity and skills training. We nurture our youth by removing potential stigmas surrounding self-expression, legitimizing their ideas, hopes, and dreams. In light of the COVID-19 global pandemic, we realize it’s our time to step up. Using the platform we’ve built to usher in change in the lives of people across the globe, we hope to help the world heal in this time of crisis. Here’s to paying it forward.

Our Breaking Distance team had the honor of interviewing Bil Donovan, one of today's most accomplished and revered fashion illustrators. He is a respected educator and author and has traveled the world as a global artist and spokesperson for companies like Christian Dior. Bil speaks about his passion for creating and how it all started, his love of educating, fostering and nurturing the next generation of artists and his activism and newest protest artwork series #LiberatorToo, honoring Black Lives. 

More About Bil

Bil Donovan is one of today's most accomplished and revered fashion illustrators. He was appointed the first artist-in-resident for Christian Dior in 2009, a position he continues to serve in today. Donovan utilizes an innate sense of selectivity to communicate the essence of glamour, luxury and style with an abstract sensibility reflecting his fine art background.

As an artist, author, educator and spokesperson Bil is a true champion of the art form. From the editorial, advertising and animation markets, his clients include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Vogue, Bergdorf Goodman, St. Regis Hotel, The New York Times, Harper Collins, New York magazine, Mandarin Oriental, the CFDA, L’Occitaine, Vanity Fair, Neiman Marcus and Saks.

Donovan shares the process of fashion illustration as an Associate Adjunct Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Instructor at the School of Visual Arts in New York. He continues to  conduct master classes and shared his technique through demonstrations in Australia, China, London, Detroit, Philadelphia and New York. Bil is the author of Advanced Fashion Drawing/Lifestyle Illustration, Lawrence King Publishing.

His painting of the House of Dior’s Couture timeline adorns the Christian Dior Suite and his paintings are also visible in the Presidential Suite and the lobby.

Vogue and the Metropolitan Museum of Art commissioned Donovan as the sole artist to illustrate fashion illustrations of iconic designs for a limited edition book for inclusion in the permanent collection of the Costume Institutes Library and visible in the recent exhibit, “Masterworks”: Unpacking fashion, 2017.

Bil Donovan has recently been recognized as one of the most accomplished fashion Illustrators of the late twentieth century, History of Illustration, Bloombury Publication 2019.

http://www.bildonovanlimited.com/

Social Media

https://www.instagram.com/bildonovan/

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ANTI-TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATION BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM AT:

https://beautyforfreedom.org/











BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM MISSION STATEMENT



Art Therapy. Education. Empowerment. This is how we help survivors of human trafficking. We support recovery through creativity and skills training. We nurture our youth by removing potential stigmas surrounding self-expression, legitimizing their ideas, hopes, and dreams. In light of the COVID-19 global pandemic, we realize it’s our time to step up. Using the platform we’ve built to usher in change in the lives of people across the globe, we hope to help the world heal in this time of crisis. Here’s to paying it forward.

Our Breaking Distance team had the honor of featuring an amazing organization and program on the show last week, Margaret's Place (A program of the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation), discussing how school programming and youth have been pivoting throughout the global pandemic and we had an opportunity to learn more about the programs provided for youth in New York, Los Angeles and Cincinnati. Safe At Home provides healing services to youth who have been traumatized by exposure to violence including domestic violence, child abuse, teen dating abuse, and sexual assault in order to empower them to live healthy lives free of violence. 

Their mission is to educate to end the cycle of domestic violence and save lives. And as a program of Safe at Home, Margaret’s Place is a multifaceted school-based program created with the understanding that protective factors can decrease or mitigate the harm associated with exposure to violence and complex trauma. The program has several master’s level counselors to help children to strengthen their resilience, let them know that they are not alone, and underscore that the violence they have suffered is not their fault– all while providing a safe place in the school. We were  joined by Jennifer Herbert, the Associate Vice President of Programs at Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation. Jennifer has over 15 years of clinical experience as an art therapist and trainer in New York City, working with children, families, and communities affected by trauma, violence, and homelessness. In her current role at the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation, she addresses the cumulative effects of isolation and complex trauma, with an emphasis on prevention and intervention, and works to build and cultivate relationships with participants of the program as well as various community partners. and David Sewsankar, an Alumni Intern of IS 143. David joined the Safe At Home team in 2016 as an Alumni Intern. In that role, he has shaped and led the organization’s Perspectives With Equal Respect (P*WER) curriculum, a workshop facilitated by young men for young men that explores the role of gender and stereotypes in gender-based violence. He also facilitates groups, creates new workshops, and mentors current middle- and high-school students in Margaret’s Place programs.

https://joetorre.org/

Social Media

https://www.instagram.com/safeathomefoundation/

https://www.instagram.com/margarets_place/

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ANTI-TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATION BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM AT:









https://beautyforfreedom.org/















BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM MISSION STATEMENT













Art Therapy. Education. Empowerment. This is how we help survivors of human trafficking. We support recovery through creativity and skills training. We nurture our youth by removing potential stigmas surrounding self-expression, legitimizing their ideas, hopes, and dreams. In light of the COVID-19 global pandemic, we realize it’s our time to step up. Using the platform we’ve built to usher in change in the lives of people across the globe, we hope to help the world heal in this time of crisis. Here’s to paying it forward.

Our Beauty for Freedom, Breaking Distance Podcast Team sat down with SASHA Center Founder and CEO, Kalimah Johnson, LMSW to discuss trauma-informed care for African-American survivors of sexual violence and domestic violence. Kalimah has transformed what trauma-informed care for African-American survivors of sexual violence looks like and has been a trailblazer in her field creating the The Sasha Center Model:Black Women's Triangulation of Rape, a paper outlining the need for Culturally Specific Services for African-American Self-Identified Sexual Assault Survivors and the needs organizations like SASHA have around Policies and Funding.

About Founder Kalimah Johnson, LMSW

Kalimah Johnson, LMSW is the Executive Director and Founder of the SASHA Center (Sexual Assault Services for Holistic Healing and Awareness), and is a consultant to the Women of Color Network’s-ABC Consortium. She was previously an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Marygrove College in Detroit, MI. Recently, she completed a Certification in Professional Athlete Development from the Wharton School of Executive Education-University of Pennsylvania.  She is also the Lead Consultant on Relationship Management and Safety with an emphasis on Domestic and Sexual Violence with the NBA. She has also created programming, workshops and trainings for the NFL, NHL, NCAA, E-Sports and for colleges and universities across the country on sexual assault.  She is also in the newly released HBO Film Documentary “I Am Evidence” produced by Mariska Hargitay about the rape kit crisis in the United States.   

"Our job here is to take the shame and the guilt away," she says.

Johnson-an adjunct professor at Marygrove College and sexual assault awareness consultant to the National Basketball Association-opened the SASHA Center in 2010 after working 15 years in the Detroit Police Department's victim assistance program.

SASHA Center Social Media:

INSTAGRAM

https://www.instagram.com/sashacenter/?hl=en

TWITTER

https://twitter.com/sashacenter1?lang=en

DONATE TO SASHA Center TODAY!

http://sashacenter.org/

SUPPORT THE GOFUNDME PAGE:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/sashacenter

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ANTI-TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATION BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM AT:

https://beautyforfreedom.org/

BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM MISSION STATEMENT

Art Therapy. Education. Empowerment. This is how we help survivors of human trafficking. We support recovery through creativity and skills training. We nurture our youth by removing potential stigmas surrounding self-expression, legitimizing their ideas, hopes, and dreams. In light of the COVID-19 global pandemic, we realize it’s our time to step up. Using the platform we’ve built to usher in change in the lives of people across the globe, we hope to help the world heal in this time of crisis. Here’s to paying it forward.

Breaking Distance continues our special series addressing the police brutality and widespread systemic racism representing historical and current sources of trauma in communities of color. We decided to go back to our communities of artists and thought leaders and have started a special #BreakingDistance Podcast series discussing Race Relations, political activism and the role of the arts and communication in healing; the second episode in this series  features singer, songwriter and activist Lisa Ramey. This is our response to our current civil rights crisis, the collective trauma caused by inequality and violence, and processing our emotions throughout.

Evolution is the ongoing process of change. If we want to consciously and intentionally change our social systems, we need to talk together about it. The more inclusive, wise and productive our conversations are, the more powerful and positive the changes will be. - The Role of Conversation in Evolution (The Co-Intelligence Institute)

More About Lisa:

Lisa Ramey is an alum of NBC’s The Voice Season 16 and has been an active performer and singer since the age of 9. She’s also a global activist having recently worked with The World Health Organization and Global Citizen to raise awareness for the COVID Crisis and staying healthy via a debut performance of her album “Surrender” on the home page of Twitch and being included alongside artists like John Legend, Camilla Cabello and Common as part of the Global Citizen “Together at Home” concert series, with dozens more performances and concerts planned through the fall. 

Lisa Ramey was and remains a supporter of Senator Kamala Harris. Lisa was asked to introduce the Senator at a major event in NYC in September 2019 and was subsequently invited to all of the Senator’s NYC events.

https://solo.to/lisarameymusic

Purchase “Surrender” at https://open.spotify.com/album/1gCP2VMekM7zCDLWEKfgpz

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ANTI-TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATION BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM AT:

https://beautyforfreedom.org/

BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM MISSION STATEMENT

Art Therapy. Education. Empowerment. This is how we help survivors of human trafficking. We support recovery through creativity and skills training. We nurture our youth by removing potential stigmas surrounding self-expression, legitimizing their ideas, hopes, and dreams. In light of the COVID-19 global pandemic, we realize it’s our time to step up. Using the platform we’ve built to usher in change in the lives of people across the globe, we hope to help the world heal in this time of crisis. Here’s to paying it forward.

Our Breaking Distance Team had an opportunity to share an evening with the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking, an organization that has been a beacon of light and hope to many and an organization whose Coalition Members Paying It Forward Foundation have served as a mentor to our organization Beauty for Freedom for years. Our BD team spoke with 

Ingrid Johnson, NJCAHT Board Member and Co-Chair of the NJCAHT Healthcare Committee, Wincey Terry-Bryant Founder of Nanababies, Winceyco, and Co-Chair of the NJCAHT Arts Committee and Gina Cavallo NJCAHT Boardmember, Consultant, Speaker, Advocate and Survivor of Human Trafficking. These incredible women inspired us with their passion for freedom and their generous hearts for supporting victims and survivors. We would like to use this podcast as a way to honor the NJCAHT and all they represent. Please join us in supporting their expansion by voting for a rebrand which could health them grow. Support their work to help survivors with your vote today and everyday until June 11th, 2020: 

https://thinkso.com/giveabrand

 Help give this nonprofit a $50k rebrand via “Give a Brand”.

More about NJCAHT:

The New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking was formed in 2011 and is made up of over 180 diverse groups in the state, which include nonprofits, faith-based organizations, government agencies, academics, law enforcement, and direct service providers. 

The NJCAHT works to serve as the hub of community efforts statewide to increase coordination and visibility of NJ’s commitment to end human trafficking.

https://www.njhumantrafficking.org/

RESOURCES

https://www.njhumantrafficking.org/covid19

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ANTI-TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATION BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM AT:

https://beautyforfreedom.org/

BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM MISSION STATEMENT

Art Therapy. Education. Empowerment. This is how we help survivors of human trafficking. We support recovery through creativity and skills training. We nurture our youth by removing potential stigmas surrounding self-expression, legitimizing their ideas, hopes, and dreams. In light of the COVID-19 global pandemic, we realize it’s our time to step up. Using the platform we’ve built to usher in change in the lives of people across the globe, we hope to help the world heal in this time of crisis. Here’s to paying it forward.

Our Breaking Distance Team sat down with Art Therapist Dawn Ippoliti LCAT, ATR-BC for Mental Health Awareness Month. We had an opportunity to delve into her practice as an art therapist and speak about mental health issues people are dealing with, particularly in regards to quarantine and the lock-down. Dawn is a licensed, board certified, art therapist and registered with the American Art Therapy Association. For almost twenty years Dawn has worked in a variety of clinical settings and institutions both in California and New York, providing art therapy and mental health services to children and families in crisis. Currently, she works as the program supervisor for New York University Art Therapy in the Schools Program providing supervision and trainings to school art therapists and their graduate level interns. https://www.art-therapy.com/

More About Art Therapy and Dawn’s Approach

Art therapy is a unique form of therapy that integrates the creative process for emotional health and healing. Many of the people I see are looking for alternatives to traditional talk therapy. Using art can be extremely beneficial to the therapeutic process as it can help illuminate your internal world. When you engage in discussion and the creative process together, both the left and right hemispheres of the brain are stimulated promoting the whole brain to function simultaneously.

Our focus is more about the process of creating and finding a place you feel safe to freely explore. However creating art is always your choice and if you prefer verbal means of expression, I will always welcome the direction you choose.

I offer a supportive and nurturing environment with practical feedback to help my clients effectively address the challenges they face. While we can't change difficult situations of the past, we can work together to better understand and resolve behaviors or negative perceptions that may be holding you back from experiencing a more fulfilling and meaningful life.  

I know it is a difficult decision to start therapy and often times people can even feel conflicted about whether or not they are ready, or the time is right. I acknowledge your courage for beginning the process and taking action to move in a new direction. I look forward to working with you to achieve your goals.

ARTICLES AND RESOURCES

COVID Crisis and Mental Health:

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2020/supporting-mental-health-during-the-covid-19-pandemic.shtml

https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/covid-19-coronavirus

https://www.sciencemag.org/careers/2020/05/professors-must-support-mental-health-trainees-during-covid-19-crisis

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/05/04/mental-health-coronavirus/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2020/05/19/the-other-covid-19-crisis-declining-mental-health/#39f354ab3d65

https://www.mountsinai.org/care/behavioral-health

https://jewishboard.org/

https://med.nyu.edu/departments-institutes/child-adolescent-psychiatry/clinical-services

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/crisis-emergency-services-mobile-crisis-teams.page

CRISIS SUPPORT:

To request a mobile crisis team in NYC, call NYC Well at (888) NYC-WELL (888-692-9355

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

1-800-273-8255

Text HOME to 741741 for free, 24/7 crisis counseling

https://www.crisistextline.org/topics/suicide/?msclkid=0a3213d1a8ca1fa199234d1c6f9dbe41#how-to-get-help-if-youre-thinking-about-ending-your-life-1

National Domestic Violence Hotline

1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY).

https://www.thehotline.org/help/

Other helpful resources for parents and young people:

You can find similar guidelines in English, Spanish, Chinese, Amharic, Korean, French, and Vietnamese at https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-climate-safety-and-crisis/health-crisis-resources/talking-to-children-about-covid-19-(coronavirus)-a-parent-resource

Talking with Children: Tips for Caregivers, Parents, and Teachers During Infectious Disease Outbreaks: https://store.samhsa.gov/system/files/pep20-01-01-006_508_0.pdf

How to Talk to Teens About the New Coronavirus: 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-to-talk-to-teens-about-the-new-coronavirus-2020031419192

Talking to Kids and Teens About Coronavirus (by age-group):

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/smart-parenting-smarter-kids/202003/how-talk-kids-and-teens-about-the-coronavirus

Stress and Coping: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/managing-stress-anxiety.html

Caring for Children in a Disaster: https://www.cdc.gov/childrenindisasters/helping-children-cope.html

Supporting Kids and Teens through the Pandemic:

https://www.mghclaycenter.org/hot-topics/7-ways-to-support-kids-and-teens-through-the-coronavirus-pandemic/

How Teenagers Can Protect Their Mental Health During Coronavirus:

https://www.unicef.org/coronavirus/how-teenagers-can-protect-their-mental-health-during-coronavirus-covid-19

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ANTI-TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATION BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM AT:

https://beautyforfreedom.org/

BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM MISSION STATEMENT

Art Therapy. Education. Empowerment. This is how we help survivors of human trafficking. We support recovery through creativity and skills training. We nurture our youth by removing potential stigmas surrounding self-expression, legitimizing their ideas, hopes, and dreams. In light of the COVID-19 global pandemic, we realize it’s our time to step up. Using the platform we’ve built to usher in change in the lives of people across the globe, we hope to help the world heal in this time of crisis. Here’s to paying it forward.

Breaking Distance – Mental Health Awareness Episode – A Candid Discussion with Loan Chabanol and Sabah Cheraiet

Our Breaking Distance team connected with Global Artists and Passionate Buddhists Loan Chabanol and Sabah Cheraiet for a candid discussion in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month and featuring topics such as Ego, Compassion for Self, Spirituality and Creating during the Pandemic. Topics all relevant to the human condition and connecting us all. Ego is who you tell yourself you are. ... Buddhist scholars agree that the ego is a mental construct we need to navigate the world. While in the Buddhist context you may more often run into the phrase “the sense of separate self,” its core meaning is very similar to the Western concept of ego. Self-compassion is extending compassion to one's self in instances of perceived inadequacy, failure, or general suffering. Kristin Neff has defined self-compassion as being composed of three main components – self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. (Sources Wikipedia and selfawareness.blog)

More About Sabah:

Sabah Cheraiet was born in Paris, March 1965, in a family of six children.

At 22, she met one of the greatest Buddhist masters of our time and travelled the world with him for more than 10 years.

Her spiritual path is at the heart of her life and she is very committed to the Tibetan cause.

Her love for painting and writing took root during her adolescence.

At the age of 10, she marvelled at a jewellery box she was given, on which was painted “the blue-eyed woman”, from Modigliani. She started admiring the painter, and became certain she had met him in a past life.

Today she lives in Montmartre, a few steps away from where he once resided.

As an autodidact, she has been drawing and painting but never showed her work to anyone. But her secret garden slowly got uncovered: she  started to reveal her canvases to her friends, who encouraged her to show them more.

Her meeting with Stéphane Corréard (curator) was a turning point for her. Convinced that she has “a thread to pull”, he encouraged her to exhibit.

She painted more than 100 canvases in less than 2 years.

Very quickly she got an opportunity to hold an exhibition in a house Rainer Maria Rilke used to spend time in, near Munich. The show was a real success.

One of her paintings was selected and exhibited at the Grand Palais in Paris, in November 2015.

https://www.instagram.com/sabah_drolkar/

More About Loan:

Loan Chabanol  --- Actress, Author, Painter, Director and Activist

Loan was born in Paris, France, and is of Vietnamese, German, and Italian descent. She grew up in the south of France where she was discovered during the prestigious Elite modelling contest. She has graced the covers of fashion magazines such as Elle, Marie Claire, Jalouse, and Glamour. Her versatile and ambiguous look got her to become an ambassador for L OREAL professional and soon after she a career in TV commercials, Loan pursued acting at Lee Strasberg Institute in New York. 

Her first feature role was in John Turturro's comedy, "Fading Gigolo", in which she acted alongside Woody Allen and John Turturro. Soon after, Loan was cast in "Third Person", a romantic drama written and directed by Paul Haggis. Then, she played "Buster Keaton" in a short artistic film by James Franco. Loan starred in her first lead in "The Transporter Refuelled", produced by Luc Besson. 

Her early years were spent in intensive art classes with artist Bernard Bistes in Midi-Pyrenees, France. Inspired by old cartoons and children’s illustrations, Loan's early work was focused on eccentric characters and their struggle and desire to communicate. 

After meeting with Monica Watkins, creator of the non-profit The Foundation for Art in Motion, Loan's work was featured in the "Art Meets Fashion" exhibition in New York in September, 2013. Linked to the show, her first book "Real E.t" depicts the quest of a sensitive character and his difficulties to communicate with the world throughout the challenges of Life. 

In 2015, she created BORN IN BLUE, an art exhibit depicting the rise of sea creatures in a host of mediums. These creatures were shown alongside an animated film the artist illustrated and directed surround- ed by a virtual “ Ocean based “environment at The Lightbox in New York City. 

The film was voluntarily created in a 2 D format to give the impression of what Loan calls the “ handcrafted vision “. 

Her following body of work, NAMSIS & BLACK NAMSIS opened at SHOW Gallery in Los Angeles in 2018. Using a new medium of collages, Loan expressed the depths of meditation that transforms into a singular form that ultimately leads to: "The mind is everything. What you think, you become." 

After visiting Haiti in 2016, Loan has been working closely with APJ 's ( Artists For Peace and

Justice) . She share a collaboration with Picsart to help rise awareness to the young generation by creat- ing an artistic connection between them and the charity's work. 

Since her movie debut, Loan has been a close friend of CHANEL’s house and have attended many of their events and fashion shows. She is a part of their Beauty US Chanel community as well and keep collocating on creative project.  

In 2019, she then donated art work and participated to WERISE Art festival & Phase ONE silent auction to help support Mental health for youth and Cancer research in Los Angeles. 

Her passion for cartoons and children’s stories led her to finalise “ Blueboo”, a children’s book she has been working on for the last 8 years. The story depicts the journey of a blue monster living in the Brown Woods meeting with the last caterpillar left in the forest. 

The book is successfully selling and is available online at www.booksoup.com. After making it through he first round, Loan will be submitting “ Blueboo” to the “Through her lens” Tribeca Film Festival ( 2020 ) short film program. ( CHANEL FILM PROGRAM ).

http://www.loanchabanol.com/

BLUEBOO IS NOW AVAILABLE at Bookshop https://www.booksoup.com/product/blueboo-loan-chabanol

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ANTI-TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATION BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM AT:

https://beautyforfreedom.org/

BEAUTY FOR FREEDOM MISSION STATEMENT

Art Therapy. Education. Empowerment. This is how we help survivors of human trafficking. We support recovery through creativity and skills training. We nurture our youth by removing potential stigmas surrounding self-expression, legitimizing their ideas, hopes, and dreams. In light of the COVID-19 global pandemic, we realize it’s our time to step up. Using the platform we’ve built to usher in change in the lives of people across the globe, we hope to help the world heal in this time of crisis. Here’s to paying it forward.

Members of the Denim Day NYC Coalition share an informative and educational conversation with the Beauty for Freedom Breaking Distance Team around Sexual Assault Awareness Month Denim Day.

Jimmy Meagher Policy Director at Safe Horizon, Erika L. Miller-Bridges, LMSW,  Relationship Abuse Prevention Program Coordinator at Harry S Truman High School at STEPS to End Family Violence - a program of Rising Ground and Maisie Breit, a Training and Curriculum Specialist for the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV) speak with Breaking Distance about the work their organizations are doing around client services, community programs, sexual, domestic and intimate partner violence prevention and more. They are all valued members of the Denim Day NYC Coalition. https://www.denimday.nyc/2020pledge

ABOUT Erika L. Miller-Bridges, LMSW

She/Her/Hers

Relationship Abuse Prevention Program Coordinator at Harry S Truman High School

STEPS to End Family Violence - a program of Rising Ground

Erika is a New York State licensed Social Worker with the Teen Relationship Abuse Prevention Program (RAPP), administered by STEPS to End Family Violence. RAPP is a school-based program providing educational and counseling services to NYC school communities regarding healthy relating, abuse and bullying prevention. Erika, who has been coordinating RAPP services at Truman since January 2001, has presented hundreds of workshops to students, parents and families, school personnel and community groups on topics including teen dating abuse, healthy relationships, gender role stereotypes, bullying and harassment. RAPP additionally runs a summer leadership training program that prepares students to be youth experts in the area of relationship abuse. The peer leaders thereafter work closely with Erika to create greater awareness and prevention amongst their peers in the school community.

Erika and her Peer Leader group have participated in numerous domestic violence-related community events and conferences including the Gladys Ricart Memorial Brides March and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s 30th Anniversary Conference in Washington DC. Erika has spearheaded a variety of school-wide awareness campaigns, such as “Love Is Respect Day”, the “National Day of Silence”, and “International Human Rights Day”. Erika has also coordinated a youth panel addressing relationship abuse and the media, served as a panelist for Sanctuary for Families Love Is Not Abuse forum, and moderated a panel at the NYC LGBTQ DV Task Force Real Lives, Real Survivors Conference, and prepared peer leaders for a youth panel at the 2016 Beyond The Bars conference at Columbia University. In addition to her responsibilities with RAPP, she has collaborated with Men Can Stop Rape to bring the Men of Strength (MOST) Club to Truman, and the Anti-Defamation League, which has awarded Truman HS as a 'No Place For Hate' recipient school each year since 2009.

ABOUT STEPS to End Family Violence

SURVIVORS & THEIR FAMILIES / NYC

From Healing to Promoting Healthy Relationships

Our STEPS To End Family Violence cadre of programs is committed to both healing and prevention. We work with survivors and their families to overcome histories of abuse to find positive paths forward. Meanwhile, we work with youth, schools, courts, legislators, and the community at large to advocate for a greater understanding of healthy relationships and how intimate partner violence can lead to any number of subsequent challenges. We are explicitly committed to naming the survivorship of people whose experiences have historically been ignored.

STEPS was founded by the legendary Sister Mary Nerney in 1986 after she convened a gathering of women incarcerated at the Bedford Hills Women’s Correctional Facility who testified to their histories of battering and its relationship to their criminal charges. This historic event created a call to action to create what started as a two-person court advocacy project. In the decades since, STEPS has evolved into a holistic program of services for survivors of intimate partner and other forms of gender-based violence with wide-reaching focuses on healing, prevention, intervention, and policy advocacy.

https://www.risingground.org/program/steps/

ABOUT Maisie Breit

Maisie Breit is a Training and Curriculum Specialist for the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV) where she develops and implements training and curricula on Intimate Partner Violence, Sexual Violence, Trauma-Responsive Practices, Systems of Oppression, and more. She represents ENDGBV on a number of inter-agency collaborations, as well as the NYC Healthy Nightlife Initiative (OutSmart NYC), for which she provides training and support around bystander intervention and preventing sexual violence for nightlife industry professionals. Before coming to the Mayor’s Office she headed an international educational institution in Southwest Morocco, where she designed and led social-justice focused programs for university students, and spent many years before that working with young people both in the U.S. and internationally. Maisie has an MA in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action from Sciences Po and a BA in Women and Gender Studies and Middle Eastern Studies from Dartmouth College. She works part time as a group fitness instructor, teaching HIIT classes in a hot room.

ABOUT NY Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence

The Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV) develops policies and programs, provides training and prevention education, conducts research and evaluations, performs community outreach, and operates the New York City Family Justice Centers. We collaborate with City agencies and community stakeholders to ensure access to inclusive services for survivors of domestic and gender-based violence (GBV). GBV can include intimate partner and family violence, elder abuse, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking. 

The NYC Family Justice Centers are co‐located multidisciplinary service centers providing vital social services, civil legal, and criminal justice assistance for survivors of domestic and gender-based violence and their children—all under one roof. 

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/ocdv/index.page

ABOUT Jimmy Meagher

Jimmy Meagher (he/him/his) is Policy Director at Safe Horizon. After graduating from Haverford College in 2008, Jimmy joined Safe Horizon as a client advocate in the Brooklyn Criminal Court Program. Since then, he has moved into increasingly responsible roles within the Criminal Court Program, the Manhattan Family Justice Center, and the Government Affairs Office. While working at Safe Horizon, he obtained his MSW from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. He previously oversaw the Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DOVE) Initiative at Safe Horizon.

ABOUT SAFE HORIZON

Safe Horizon is a victim assistance nonprofit that has been standing with victims of violence and abuse in New York City since 1978. We provide assistance, advocacy and support to victims who have experienced domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking, youth homelessness and other crimes.

https://www.safehorizon.org/

Thursday, April 2nd Featured panelists include:

Rebekah A. Frimpong, MPH, President of CR8:BLK, Doctoral Candidate DrPH

Jacqueline Douge, MD, MPH, FAAP

Sarpoma Sefa-Boakye, M.D.

Gilbert Frank Daniels (Artist - Photojournalist)

Raj Shah (Artist - Design/Marketing)

Joseph Otsiman (Artist - Actor)

Lisa Russell, MPH, World Health Organization COVID-19 Arts Curator (Artist - Filmmaker)

Miguel Carter-Fisher (Educator, Visual Artist)

Rebekah A. Frimpong, MPH, President of CR8:BLK, Doctoral Candidate DrPH

Rebekah A. Frimpong, MPH is a dedicated mother, and a Ghanaian-American award winning filmmaker, scholar, researcher, creative strategist, and published author/writer. Rebekah spends her spare time as a mentor to youth and as a community activist fighting for women's rights and global health issues. Rebekah grew up with a great appreciation for the arts thanks to the exposure her mother provided her at an early age. In her youth, she studied tap dance, ballet, and was a saxophonist in jazz orchestra for seven years. It was this exposure to the arts and her experimentation with painting, crafts, and poetry that led to her developing a passion for the arts and serving the arts community. Rebekah currently works in emergency response helping people recover after disasters and continues creating art working as an independent documentary filmmaker.

Jacqueline Douge, MD, MPH, FAAP

Dr. Douge is the Medical Director for the Bureau of Health Services in Howard County Health Department. She is a pediatrician with a public health background and degrees from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health and Rutgers University. She is also the host of What is Black? Podcast. 

Sarpoma Sefa-Boakye, M.D.

Board Certified Family Medicine Physician, Public Speaker and Global Health Expert

Sarpoma Sefa-Boakye, M.D., is a Cuba trained USA, Board Certified Family Medicine Physician and Global Health Medical Expert. Voted Top Doctor San Diego in 2017, and well known for her International work which has been featured on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) World News, National Public Radio (NPR) All Things Considered and most notably for receiving honorable mention by former Secretary of the United States Colin Powell to complete her Doctoral Medical training in Cuba.

As an undergraduate at the University of California at Los Angeles (U.C.L.A) Dr.Sarpoma majored in International Development Studies with a sub specialization in Public Health of Sub Saharan Africa and Latin America. She later successfully attained her Medical Degree in Spanish on full academic scholarship at the Latin American School of Medicine in Havana ,Cuba where she also trained with the National Afro-Cuban Dance Company. Prior to Medical School Dr. Sarpoma also studied one year at the University of Ghana at Legon where she completed field work research on the Safe Motherhood initiative in the maternity centers of Accra Ghana, her country of origin. Shortly after completing her Medical training Dr.Sarpoma became the first International Medical Director of the Birthing Project USA, an organization aimed at increasing Maternal and Infant survival rates in woman globally. She advocates for donations of medical supplies globally and sparked a very successful safe birth kit distribution campaign which resulted in securing medical birthing supplies for more than 10k women in such countries as Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Malawi, Honduras and India. She is a true innovator in her field and has lead many medical missions in West Africa primarily in Ghana, providing medical supplies and Safe Birth Kits to families in need. She is also an Independent Medical Examiner offering insight and medical expertise to Veterans. She is currently practicing medicine in San Diego, California where she lives with her family.

Gilbert Frank Daniels 

Ugandan based photojournalist Daniels, known as Bwette, is a former breakdancer turned activist. Bwette develops and executes projects that include hip-hop diplomacy using the art of movement as a tool for youth empowerment and working to use his photography to tell the stories of young African visionaries. 

Raj Shah

Raj is a Senior Visual Designer and Professional Photographer at Condé Nast in NYC and has been an Ambassador for Beauty for Freedom since 2015. He believes deeply that creative expression can provide infinite paths to empowerment. He is committed to using the power of storytelling to move hearts and minds into action.

Joseph Otsiman

Ghanaian actor, producer and radio presenter/DJ, Otsiman is noted for his role as Pastor John Moses in The Cursed Ones and Kojo Bonsu in The Burial of Kojo. Otsiman attended the National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT). He is an AMA Awards nominee for the role he played in his first feature film The Cursed Ones in 2015. He is the Co-Founder of Greenyard Entertainment; a production house that is currently involved in short films and web series.

Lisa Russell, MPH, WHO COVID-19 Arts Curator at World Health Organization

Lisa Russell, MPH is an Emmy-winning filmmaker with a Masters in Public Health who has been producing films and creative campaigns and curating artistic performances for UN/NGO agencies for the past 10+ years. An avid proponent of narrative justice and responsible storytelling, Lisa has been a featured speaker and workshop facilitator at some of the leading global health gatherings including TEDxJNJ (Johnson & Johnson), Switchpoint, Envision, Unite for Sight, and others. Lisa is also the CEO/Founder of StoryShifter, a new entertainment portal where tech and culture meet for the social good. Residing in Brooklyn, NY, Lisa is also a teaching artist for young artists in NYC.

Miguel Carter-Fisher

Miguel Carter-Fisher is currently based in his hometown, Richmond, Virginia. His interest in the arts began as a child and was nurtured by his father, the late painter Bill Fisher. At 18 he moved to Connecticut, where he studied both painting and philosophy at the University of Hartford. After graduating, Miguel moved to Brooklyn to attend the New York Academy of Art. There he studied traditional drawing, painting, and composition techniques. After graduate school, he worked at Soho Art Materials, where he educated artists, collectors, and galleries on diverse methods and materials of painting. Since returning to Richmond in 2014, Miguel has taught at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Milk River Arts, Bon Air Juvenile Corrections Center through Art 180, and Virginia Commonwealth University. He is currently an assistant professor and studio arts coordinator at Virginia State University. Miguel’s work has been exhibited at various galleries in New York, Virginia, DC, Massachusetts, Washington, and abroad.

Thursday, April 2nd Featured panelists include:

Rebekah A. Frimpong, MPH, President of CR8:BLK, Doctoral Candidate DrPH

Jacqueline Douge, MD, MPH, FAAP

Sarpoma Sefa-Boakye, M.D.

Gilbert Frank Daniels (Artist - Photojournalist)

Raj Shah (Artist - Design/Marketing)

Joseph Otsiman (Artist - Actor)

Lisa Russell, MPH, World Health Organization COVID-19 Arts Curator (Artist - Filmmaker)

Miguel Carter-Fisher (Educator, Visual Artist)

Rebekah A. Frimpong, MPH, President of CR8:BLK, Doctoral Candidate DrPH

Rebekah A. Frimpong, MPH is a dedicated mother, and a Ghanaian-American award winning filmmaker, scholar, researcher, creative strategist, and published author/writer. Rebekah spends her spare time as a mentor to youth and as a community activist fighting for women's rights and global health issues. Rebekah grew up with a great appreciation for the arts thanks to the exposure her mother provided her at an early age. In her youth, she studied tap dance, ballet, and was a saxophonist in jazz orchestra for seven years. It was this exposure to the arts and her experimentation with painting, crafts, and poetry that led to her developing a passion for the arts and serving the arts community. Rebekah currently works in emergency response helping people recover after disasters and continues creating art working as an independent documentary filmmaker.

Jacqueline Douge, MD, MPH, FAAP

Dr. Douge is the Medical Director for the Bureau of Health Services in Howard County Health Department. She is a pediatrician with a public health background and degrees from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health and Rutgers University. She is also the host of What is Black? Podcast. 

Sarpoma Sefa-Boakye, M.D.

Board Certified Family Medicine Physician, Public Speaker and Global Health Expert

Sarpoma Sefa-Boakye, M.D., is a Cuba trained USA, Board Certified Family Medicine Physician and Global Health Medical Expert. Voted Top Doctor San Diego in 2017, and well known for her International work which has been featured on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) World News, National Public Radio (NPR) All Things Considered and most notably for receiving honorable mention by former Secretary of the United States Colin Powell to complete her Doctoral Medical training in Cuba.

As an undergraduate at the University of California at Los Angeles (U.C.L.A) Dr.Sarpoma majored in International Development Studies with a sub specialization in Public Health of Sub Saharan Africa and Latin America. She later successfully attained her Medical Degree in Spanish on full academic scholarship at the Latin American School of Medicine in Havana ,Cuba where she also trained with the National Afro-Cuban Dance Company. Prior to Medical School Dr. Sarpoma also studied one year at the University of Ghana at Legon where she completed field work research on the Safe Motherhood initiative in the maternity centers of Accra Ghana, her country of origin. Shortly after completing her Medical training Dr.Sarpoma became the first International Medical Director of the Birthing Project USA, an organization aimed at increasing Maternal and Infant survival rates in woman globally. She advocates for donations of medical supplies globally and sparked a very successful safe birth kit distribution campaign which resulted in securing medical birthing supplies for more than 10k women in such countries as Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Malawi, Honduras and India. She is a true innovator in her field and has lead many medical missions in West Africa primarily in Ghana, providing medical supplies and Safe Birth Kits to families in need. She is also an Independent Medical Examiner offering insight and medical expertise to Veterans. She is currently practicing medicine in San Diego, California where she lives with her family.

Gilbert Frank Daniels 

Ugandan based photojournalist Daniels, known as Bwette, is a former breakdancer turned activist. Bwette develops and executes projects that include hip-hop diplomacy using the art of movement as a tool for youth empowerment and working to use his photography to tell the stories of young African visionaries. 

Raj Shah

Raj is a Senior Visual Designer and Professional Photographer at Condé Nast in NYC and has been an Ambassador for Beauty for Freedom since 2015. He believes deeply that creative expression can provide infinite paths to empowerment. He is committed to using the power of storytelling to move hearts and minds into action.

Joseph Otsiman

Ghanaian actor, producer and radio presenter/DJ, Otsiman is noted for his role as Pastor John Moses in The Cursed Ones and Kojo Bonsu in The Burial of Kojo. Otsiman attended the National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT). He is an AMA Awards nominee for the role he played in his first feature film The Cursed Ones in 2015. He is the Co-Founder of Greenyard Entertainment; a production house that is currently involved in short films and web series.

Lisa Russell, MPH, WHO COVID-19 Arts Curator at World Health Organization

Lisa Russell, MPH is an Emmy-winning filmmaker with a Masters in Public Health who has been producing films and creative campaigns and curating artistic performances for UN/NGO agencies for the past 10+ years. An avid proponent of narrative justice and responsible storytelling, Lisa has been a featured speaker and workshop facilitator at some of the leading global health gatherings including TEDxJNJ (Johnson & Johnson), Switchpoint, Envision, Unite for Sight, and others. Lisa is also the CEO/Founder of StoryShifter, a new entertainment portal where tech and culture meet for the social good. Residing in Brooklyn, NY, Lisa is also a teaching artist for young artists in NYC.

Miguel Carter-Fisher

Miguel Carter-Fisher is currently based in his hometown, Richmond, Virginia. His interest in the arts began as a child and was nurtured by his father, the late painter Bill Fisher. At 18 he moved to Connecticut, where he studied both painting and philosophy at the University of Hartford. After graduating, Miguel moved to Brooklyn to attend the New York Academy of Art. There he studied traditional drawing, painting, and composition techniques. After graduate school, he worked at Soho Art Materials, where he educated artists, collectors, and galleries on diverse methods and materials of painting. Since returning to Richmond in 2014, Miguel has taught at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Milk River Arts, Bon Air Juvenile Corrections Center through Art 180, and Virginia Commonwealth University. He is currently an assistant professor and studio arts coordinator at Virginia State University. Miguel’s work has been exhibited at various galleries in New York, Virginia, DC, Massachusetts, Washington, and abroad.