“The Real Face of Sex Trafficking” Panel Discussion on Oct. 30 at MCC

A panel discussion on “The Real Face of Sex Trafficking: Athletics, Law Enforcement, and the Hidden Agenda” will take place on Monday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. in Muskegon Community College’s Collegiate Hall.

Free and open to the public, the event is being coordinated by MCC’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. For more information, contact Trynette Lottie-Harps at (231) 777-0559.

Panelists include: Sen. Judy K. Emmons, who represents Michigan’s 33rd District and is a strong advocate for eliminating human trafficking; Eastern Michigan University (EMU) Lecturer David L. Manville, who teaches a course that deals with human trafficking; Anny Donewald, the founder and CEO of Eve’s Angels; and Connie Nesbary, a licensed professional counselor.

The moderator will be Andy O’Riley, the Mayor Pro Tem of Roosevelt Park, founder of O’Reily Media Group, Positively Muskegon and The Muskegon Channel.

Sen. Emmons, one of Michigan’s leading voices on the realities of human trafficking, has been working at the grass roots level with real life survivors to craft legislation aimed at stopping this unthinkable crime. The senator is a mid-Michigan native, fifth generation farmer, mother of three, and grandmother of five. She serves more than 250,000 constituents in five counties: Clare, Gratiot, Isabella, Mecosta, and Montcalm.

During her three terms in the Michigan House of Representatives, she has served as the majority vice-chair of the House Appropriations Committee, the minority vice-chair of the Military Affairs, Veterans and Homeland Security Committee, and chair of the Families, Seniors and Human Services Committee. Within her community, she has served 12 years on the Central Montcalm Public Schools Board of Education, including six years as president.

David Manville retired in 2010 after 36 years as a practicing social worker and 22 years as a custody mediator/facilitator in Wayne County. Since 2011, he has been a Bachelor’s in Social Work advisor and a lecturer in the School of Social Work at EMU.

He developed and teaches one of few, if not the only, Human Trafficking class at a four-year university in Michigan. He has presented at more than 40 conferences and trainings related to this subject.

Manville is expanding his interest in human trafficking to ritualistic and cult trafficking, issues with Native Americans, children exiting from foster care and issues related to eco-destruction due to labor trafficking. He currently serves as the faculty advisor for the human trafficking student organization: UnMASKED. He is a member of the newly formed Michigan Abolitionist Project-Ann Arbor chapter, Washtenaw County Anti-Trafficking Task Force and had worked with the State of Michigan’s Governors Human Trafficking Commission on re-writing Protocols for Foster Care Youth and Human Trafficking.

Anny Donewald is the Founder and CEO of Eve’s Angels and The ARMED Campaign. With nearly a decade of experience as an advocate for victims and survivors of the commercial sex trade and the fight against human trafficking, she created support groups and outreaches in cities across the country, opened the largest survivor-led safe home of its kind in the country, and is an international published author.

Donewald regularly advises political, religious, and educational sects on the sex-for-sale culture and its effects on society. Her expertise stems from her experience as a survivor of the commercial sex trade, placing her as a forerunner in the movement to stop the selling of sex for money. She serves on government advisory boards and national panels and works around the clock to abolish the domestic slave trade epidemic.

Connie Nesbary, a Licensed Professional Counselor and Limited Licensed Psychologist in Michigan, has worked with hundreds of clients recovering from post-trauma stress from a wide range of circumstances over the past two decades.

She has been a presenter at national and statewide conferences, college classes, and local events. She has shared her expertise on radio and TV programs dealing with domestic violence, trauma recovery, and professional ethics. She has served on many statewide and local boards and currently volunteers with a suicide prevention committee. She recently produced a nationally syndicated radio documentary entitled “CSC What Needs to Change,” focusing on culture, awareness, legislative action, and survivor healing.

Her firm, Connie Nesbary International LLC, has a vision for a world without violence and a mission to promote compassion through understanding. Its projects include podcasts, educational training, motivational speaking, and consulting.