My name is Camari Simpson. I was born and raised in Orlando, and currently live in Tallahassee as I’m attending Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in pursuit of my Criminal Justice/Legal Studies degree. Upon finishing my degree, I will be attending law school to further pursue a career in public policy and the legal system.
Prior to getting the opportunity to attend FAMU, I spent the last four years traveling the country organizing and strategizing grassroots electoral campaigns for marginalized communities in Detroit, Paterson, New Jersey, DC, Atlanta and more. This work brought me directly in touch with the underserved communities where I want to make a lasting impact, and this need to have a lasting impact brought me to the Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center (STAC).
Knowledge is Power
After joining STAC as an intern, I learned a major point to remember while taking the STACPRO online business training: Human trafficking can occur anywhere. Hotels, restaurants, and schools can all harbor victims and traffickers alike. Keeping this in mind allows you to stay tuned in and aware of all potential signs of labor and sex trafficking. For me personally, memories began flooding back from traveling around the country working on grassroots campaigns and I immediately began pinching myself at the missed opportunities to speak up.
Getting involved with STAC this semester has opened my eyes to small behaviors and tell-tale signs of human trafficking that I wish I knew before, and I plan to do all that I can to further this education and pay it forward. For the average student, we may see multiple signs throughout the day of potential trafficking victims or traps but because we’re unaware of what to look for, we miss our opportunity. Because of this, I believe that a mass movement pushing more education around labor and sex trafficking is necessary to begin to create change, and I’m willing to do whatever possible to accomplish this goal.
Looking to the Future
Using my prior grassroots and outreach campaign experience, I hope to continue working with Robin Hassler Thompson and STAC to get my school campus of FAMU involved through posters, bulletins, fliers, and other interesting outlets and opportunities to educate and inform our community about human trafficking and how it impacts the FAMU campus. More than simply collateral or tangible items, I would love to assist in scheduling and planning future workshops and courses for STAC to speak to the student body on the FAMU campus.
There are so many students on the campus who would love to be involved with STAC and the complete cessation of labor trafficking and sex trafficking, but they aren’t aware of how to get involved. I hope to be that catalyst to build these connections, so we can all open our eyes to human trafficking and take action to end it.
How You Can Get Involved
If you would like to join in the effort to end human trafficking, please contact STAC at 850.597.2080 or stac@surviveandthriveadvocacy.org. You can also register STAC’s free human trafficking training, STACPRO, here.