An Extraordinary Impact: Victoria Pannell is Standing Up Against Child-Sex Trafficking

Following in the footsteps of author Olivia A. Cole’s brilliant Women of Wednesday series, our own ongoing “An Extraordinary Impact” features people of color responsible for creating an extraordinary impact within their communities. By providing them with a platform to share their accomplishments, goals, and message, we hope to not only celebrate their achievements, but to galvanize support for their endeavors.

Victoria Pannell, Harlem

1. So what is it you’re doing and why are you so passionate about it?

I’m an advocate against human trafficking with a special emphasis on child sex trafficking. How do we have more slaves now, in the year 2017, than at any other time in history? I can’t go to bed in a safe and comfortable surrounding knowing little girls and boys are being kidnapped, sold, and raped over and over, day and night. How can we not be outraged when convicted traffickers get more time for selling drugs and weapons than children?

2. What made you decide to pursue doing this work?

At the age of 12, I filmed a public service announcement about a 13-year- old victim of human trafficking, then I went to Washington, DC to visit the girl I portrayed in the ad. She already had a baby. This was a child trafficked and raped as many as 10 times per day and impregnated before even becoming a teenager. I decided the day I met her that I would spend my life fighting human trafficking.

3. Who have been some of your biggest influences and inspirations?

When it comes to fighting human trafficking, it is Vincent Lyn, a rescuer of trafficked children. I’m inspired by our former first lady Michelle Obama and influenced in my activism by Linda Sarsour. Mrs. Sarsour is passionate in the causes she advocates for despite the brutal attacks she faces daily.

4. What would it take for you to consider this endeavor a success?

Although awareness about trafficking has increased, so has the number of human traffickers selling our children. I know I have been successful in my fight against trafficking when legislation is passed where traffickers receive life sentencing upon conviction and lose all present and future assets.

My mother and I prepared five bills and presented them to the office of Congressman Adriano Espaillat. If any of those bills pass into legislation then I will feel a sense of accomplishment and success. But right now, I don’t feel anything but frustration mixed with the determination to at least keep trying to put a huge dent in child sex trafficking.

5. How can interested parties support what you’re doing?

Stay on their politicians to support tough laws against traffickers. If you suspect a child is being trafficked, report it right away. If you know someone who is selling or buying children, then report it. In the next five years, I want to build a home for survivors of trafficking. When I start collecting funds to make that dream a reality….donate!!

To keep up with Victoria’s fight against child-sex trafficking, follow her on Twitter at @VictoriaPannell.

Are you making “An Extraordinary Impact” on your community and want to be featured in a future installment? Shoot us an email with your answers to the above questions to theextraordinarynegroes@gmail.com.

An Extraordinary Impact: Alice Wong is Bringing Visibility to Disabled Communities

Following in the footsteps of author Olivia A. Cole’s brilliant Women of Wednesday series, our own ongoing “An Extraordinary Impact” features people of color responsible for creating an extraordinary impact within their communities. By providing them with a platform to share their accomplishments, goals, and message, we hope to not only celebrate their achievements, but to galvanize support for their endeavors.

Alice Wong, San Francisco

1. So what is it you’re doing and why are you so passionate about it?

I created the Disability Visibility Project™ (DVP) about three years ago because I didn't see enough stories or histories about disabled people. Like many marginalized groups, much of our history is untold, forgotten, or erased. When stories about disabled people are told in the media or by historians, it's often from a non-disabled lens.

The DVP is a community partnership with StoryCorps, a national oral history non-profit that records the stories of all people, not just the famous and infamous. What's great about StoryCorps is that it's free and participants have the option of having their recording archived at the Library of Congress. Imagine being able to tell your story in your own words and having it preserved for the future. I find that incredibly powerful and exciting.

I interview folks in my San Francisco Bay Area disability community about their lives and what matter to them. I encourage disabled folks around the country to go to a StoryCorps location to record their stories as well. I'm passionate about this project because it gives people an opportunity to share a moment, create something, and add to a larger body of history that is open to the public.

In telling our stories, we're claiming our identities and taking pride as a community--this is the driving force behind what I do.

(Quilt by Corbett O'Toole)

2. What made you decide to pursue doing this work?

Originally, the Disability Visibility Project™ was a one-year project. I thought I'd see who I could interview by using my networks on social media. My background is in qualitative research so I always loved interviewing people and learning from them. Pretty soon, the DVP became my life's work and I decided to focus on it full-time a few months ago.

I realized there was a need and hunger for stories by and for disabled people. The positive responses encouraged me to broaden the DVP into an online community. I publish blog posts featuring the interviews from the DVP and use Twitter and Facebook to disseminate them.

Since I enjoy using social media and sharing information, the online component has been equally important as my partnership with StoryCorps. Building online spaces where we can share our stories plus have conversations is an extension of what I've been doing informally as an individual.

I also host Twitter chats and partner with other people who are disabled activists. For example, I am a co-partner in #CripTheVote, a nonpartisan online movement encouraging the political participation of disabled people. I love working with different people in the disability community and collaborating with so many talented and amazing folks.

The work I do now is a culmination of my skills and passions--it's weird how my journey in life has led me to this place! Whenever I think about it, I'm filled with a deep sense of gratitude.

3. Who have been some of your biggest influences and inspirations?

There are a lot of media makers and online communities that influence me. Jamie Broadnax's Black Girl Nerds and Keith Chow's The Nerds of Color are fantastic nerd-driven communities that give me life. I love live tweeting with them and appreciate how they consistently push back against the status quo in entertainment and media.

Many disabled women have mentored and supported me over the years--I try to do the same and amplify the work of disabled writers, artists, and activists, especially disabled people of color. Three particular shout-outs I'd like to give are TL Lewis, Vilissa Thompson, and Keah Brown. If you're on Twitter, follow them! All three are activists and writers who cover issues of race, disability, culture, structural inequality, and intersectionality.

4. What would it take for you to consider this endeavor a success?

I like the current pace and direction of the DVP and in many ways it's already a success. The DVP has over 100 oral histories recorded so far and I'm in the process of putting them online so anyone can access them.

Two DVP oral histories were selected for broadcast on National Public Radio so that's something! Anytime non-stereotypical stories by disabled are out in the mainstream is always a good thing. Here's the most recent one from this past Mother's Day featuring Sarah Churchill and her daughter Yomi Wrong. You can also hear my interview with Yomi from 2015.

Right now this is a one-person production--I'd like the project to grow but I don't want to change based on other people's ideas of what success looks like.

5. How can interested parties support what you’re doing?

Thanks for asking this question. First, folks can go to my website and check it out. Everyone's welcome to join the DVP Facebook group where a lot of conversations happen about disability culture and issues. For people who use Twitter, they can follow me @SFdirewolf and @DisVisibility.

I launched a Patreon campaign a few months ago--if people appreciate my work, they're welcome to support it for $1/month or more. This will allow me to pay disabled people to create authentic media and help get their stories out there.

One final recommendation for your readers is to amplify the work by disabled people, especially stories they love.

Donate on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DVP

Website: http://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/356870067786565/

Are you making “An Extraordinary Impact” on your community and want to be featured in a future installment?  Shoot us an email with your answers to the above questions to theextraordinarynegroes@gmail.com.

An Extraordinary Impact: Mr. Good Vibes is Here to Save Us All

Following in the footsteps of author Olivia A. Cole’s brilliant "Women of Wednesday" series, our own ongoing “An Extraordinary Impact” features people of color responsible for creating an extraordinary impact within their communities. By providing them with a platform to share their accomplishments, goals, and message, we hope to not only celebrate their achievements, but to galvanize support for their endeavors.

Mr. Good Vibes, Toronto

1. So what is it you’re doing and why are you so passionate about it?

I am leading a positivity movement as Mr. Good Vibes (currently 18 years old). I have seen the power of positive thinking and the results it can bring so I want to help others do the same and achieve their goals. When I was younger, I went through some hardships and realized that if I wanted to achieve something, I would have to work my butt off and trust that God knows what He's doing. After being cut from my soccer team, I trained day-in and day-out in order to eventually to become my high school's top scorer during my Senior years. I then received multiple Division 1 full-ride soccer scholarships to play in the States (before leaving and deciding to run my business full time). I was able to achieve these things because I stopped considering myself a victim of the world and started having a positive outlook on every situation while working hard and trusting in God. I have seen the impact that this positive mindset can bring and I really want other people to instill this way of thinking into their lives as well so we can all achieve great things.

2. What made you decide to pursue doing this work?

I decided to pursue this business full-time because I realized that there is a serious problem in the world: Negativity is currently much louder than positivity. Everywhere we turn we're hearing about another crime being committed, another death, negative comments about the presidential elections, and so on. The list keeps going. On social media, people like to rant or subtweet someone who's bothering them. It's very rare that we see positive posts. And sometimes when we do, people will criticize them. That’s a problem. I truly believe that most people are positive deep down and want to live a life filled with positivity, but they feel overwhelmed by all the negativity that's being put in our faces. I think that everyone who has something good to share or talk about needs to do so. We, as people who are positive, have a responsibility to make positivity louder. When we start doing this, the rest will follow. I feel that The Good Vibes Movement can change people's behavior for the better and we together, can create a world where positivity dominates.

3. Who have been some of your biggest influences and inspirations?

My biggest influence (aside from my grandmother), has been Gary Vaynerchuk, otherwise known as GaryVee. He is a serial entrepreneur and arguably the most influential person on this planet. He represents two main ideals: Self-Awareness and Hustle. After consuming his daily content on his social media platforms and executing on the advice he gives, I have learned more in the last year than I've learned my whole life in terms of business practices. GaryVee's message of self-awareness has helped my discover who I truly am: An entrepreneur. His other message, “hustle”, is pretty straightforward. You want something? Then go and work for it. Get it. Stop complaining. Stop being afraid. Stop whining. Just go out and work your butt off for what you want. You gotta put the time in.

4. What would it take for you to consider this endeavor a success?

For me to consider what I'm doing a success, it goes much deeper than just being wealthy. I'm doing it because I truly love it. I am in love with the journey and process of becoming a successful entrepreneur. I love the late nights, early mornings, high pressure situations, the days of uncertainty, the times when some people don't understand your vision. I am already considering myself successful. When you get to do what you wanna, and you're doing it well, then you've won. I'm doing what I wanna do with my life. I'm making my money. The business is expanding. We're bringing new people on board. We're developing our corporate programs to expand our revenue streams. I'm constantly building my personal brand as well (Mr Good Vibes), so that I can have the leverage to have another revenue stream in public speaking engagements while inspiring millions of people. When I do my speeches to high schools, youth groups or corporations right now, I have people come up to me and say I've changed their lives. They tell me how by listening to me, they feel inspired and unafraid to pursue their goals. That's much more rewarding than just money. I love that impact. That's legacy, and I care more about that, then the money that comes with this business. The greatest success will be knowing that we've impacted millions, if not billions of lives for the better.

5. How can interested parties support what you’re doing?

If anyone would like to join the Good Vibes Movement, we sell our gear on our website  www.goodvibesenterprises.com. If anyone wants to contact me for anything, my email is mrgoodvibes@goodvibesenterprises.com. I'm sure there will be some students reading this, so if y'all vibe with the Good Vibes message, then let's talk about bringing it to your school. And if there's any adults involved with corporations, or the school board, I'm always open to coming in and inspiring more people through public speaking.

Are you making “An Extraordinary Impact” on your community and want to be featured in a future installment?  Shoot us an email with your answers to the above questions to theextraordinarynegroes@gmail.com.