The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Emily Keener to sing for benefit
Emily Keener lending talents to show for Geauga-based advocacy group
It was early in Laura Bartchak’s efforts to raise awareness of human trafficking when she and a friend found themselves faced with a real-life example.
Bartchak had hosted an awareness event, but this was the first attempt to assist an actual victim.
“We worked with her to connect her to community services and keep her safe,” the Geauga County resident said. “It was such a difficult process that we wondered how anyone could find their way to freedom by themselves. So that’s how the Harriet Tubman Movement was born.”
That was in 2015, and, since then, the Burtonbased nonprofit organization — including a social worker, advocacy director and several volunteers — has helped nearly 40 others in Northeast Ohio.
The charity is run solely on donations and will get a boost from an upcoming benefit concert headlined by 2016 “The Voice” contestant Emily Keener.
Keener, a friend of Bartchak’s niece, will perform March 15 at Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland along with other “socially conscious” musicians Michelle Gaw and Ray Flanagan and the Authorities. All proceeds will go toward the cause.
“I want to see us all fighting to change what we can in times when it’s so easy to feel powerless,” said 19-year-old Keener of Wakeman. “Few things are as worthy of our time.”
Human trafficking victims are referred to the Harriet Tubman Movement by law enforcement, healthcare providers, homeless shelters, drug rehabilitation facilities and other sources. Advocates assess their needs and make referrals to other service providers. Survivors often require relocation out of the area, clothing, personal care items and food.
Victims helped by the group have ranged in age from 18 to 45, and many were forced into trafficking by relatives. Like the opioid crisis, it affects all socioeconomic classes, Bartchak said.
“This is the social justice issue of our time,” she said. “We have a responsibility to society to know what human trafficking is, what it looks like and how to stop it from happening in our community.”