The Women's Center EmPower Luncheon

When someone mentions human trafficking, do you immediately think of someone being snatched and bundled into a car trunk? Do you think of young foreign women? Would you be surprised to learn that most of your preconceptions around trafficking are wrong? The EmPower Luncheon, held annually on Denim Day, seeks to empower the community to fight sexual assault and trafficking. Enjoy a catered lunch, extensive silent auction, raffles and networking. This year's keynote speakers, Rachel Lovell, PhD and Sara McKinnon, will speak on two of the most contentious issues within the sexual assault field today. Dr. Sara McKinnon is an Associate Professor in Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She has spent much of her career researching the language and rhetoric used around human trafficking and how it can be harmful to trafficking survivors, and prevent systemic change in order to protect victims going forward. Did you know that in 2017, Wisconsin had over 6,000 untested rape kits? And it was only in May of 2022 that a state-wide tracking database went live for survivors to track the status of their kits. Dr. Rachell Lovell is an Assistant Professor of Criminology and Director of the Criminology Research Center at Cleveland State University. She is a leading expert on the issue of untested rape kits and what the real-life consequences are for survivors and our communities when backlogs occur. Their combined knowledge and expertise will give attendees a unique chance to learn and engage with two experts in the field of sexual assault and give an insight into some of the many struggles faced by survivors and how the work we do at The Women's Center intersects daily with the issues they will raise. For sponsorship information, please contact Hannah Harris at [email protected] or 262.522.3803 Purchase tickets at https://2023EmPower.givesmart.com

Event Links

Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/1587352-0

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