The History Behind the Month

More than 20 years ago, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000  enshrined the United States’ commitment to combating human trafficking domestically and internationally. In 2010, by presidential proclamation, President Obama declared January “National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month” and every year since, each president has followed this tradition.

President Biden has proclaimed January 2023 as “National Human Trafficking Prevention Month,” reaffirming his Administration’s commitment to protect and empower survivors […]

Swarupa Watlington has been named Program Projects Manager, a new position on the leadership team. Please send Swarupa a welcoming email at swatlington@archlou.org.

Swarupa Watlington is the new Programs Project Manager at Catholic Charities. Swarupa has worked in the non profit arena for most of her life and enjoys building community. She is new to the Louisville area and loves exploring the outdoors and meeting new people! Swarupa is proud to work for […]

Rachel Van Dyke and Layne Sanders made a community-wide call for volunteers when they appeared on WAVE television’s daytime talk show, WAVE Country, last week. You can watch them here.

Mariya Kobayashi, a caseworker with Bakhita Empowerment Initiative, talked about human trafficking, aspects of it unique to Louisville, and what you can do to help when she appeared on WAVE television January 4. You can watch her interview here.

Abbey Frederick is the new Data Entry Specialist for the Refugee Cash Assistance Program at Catholic Charities. Abbey has been working in the nonprofit world for nearly 6 years now, a journey that began in Bloomington, Indiana, at a  new Arts Education nonprofit. Even though she’s not native to Louisville, Abbey enjoys the restaurants, parks, and local businesses in Louisville and sees herself living here indefinitely. Abbey loves working for a place that […]

Our Mission team kicked off the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Rice Bowl campaign on Thursday with a mass celebrated by Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre and attended by students and other members of the community, followed by snacks in the gym at Holy Family Church, where students brainstormed on how they would raise money for the effort. Rice Bowl raises funds for Catholic Relief Services. Twenty-five percent of funds raise stay in the Archdiocese of […]

Marissa Castellanos, Bakhita Emowerment Initiative, shares about the rhythm of work and her experiences with the anti-human trafficking outreach in this month’s Share the Journey column in The Record Catholic Newspaper. You can read her column here. Thanks, Marissa!

Please send Tamar Israel, with Bakhita Empowerment Initiative, your love, prayers, and sympathy at the death of James “Big Daddy James” Jones. You can email Tamar at tisrael@archlou.org. You can read the obituary here.