What We Could See in 2023!

Published Newspaper Author

Black Iowa Newspaper:

1. Statewide newspaper targeting the Black Iowan community.  

2. Online readership of 19K+

3. In-person print version distributed at 80+ locations across Iowa

Centers of Trust™ Trainings:

Training to Increase Safety with Individuals and Entities in Black-Owned Spaces: 

• Nearly 20 this year!

Centers of Must™ Trainings:

Training to Increase Safety in Mainstream Orgs: 

• 30+ organizations this year!

Statewide Expertise 

Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Conference Speaker/Trainer:

Co-Presenter at Iowa Sexual Assault Conference:

1. Their Violence Prevention Coordinator, Disease Intervention Specialist, and I presented ot this conference

2. I provided expertise for culturally-specific considerations during this process to the audience of professionals such as SARTs (sexual assault response teams), disease intervention specialists, and advocates

Award-Winning #BackTheBlack Facilitator for Make It OK Campaign:

Make It OK campaign has been active in Minnesota and Iowa for years but was not reaching underserved communities.

1. Iowa Healthiest State brought me as a facilitator for the committee of 15 Black Iowans to formulate the campaign to reach our community

2. Our groundbreaking efforts with Iowa HSI were recognized as Iowa Partner of the Year by Iowa Public Health Association

3. My blueprint approach to this work has been sought after by the MIO Steering Committee in Minnesota as well as Iowa HSI for future campaign efforts in other diverse communities

ProACTIVE Advisory Board Participation:​

1. Men are statistically have higher rates of DV against women. Black women have the highest and 2nd highest rates of DV victimization. To increase safety for Black women directly at the source, I was sought out to advise the curriculum and rollout of voluntary training designed to help Black men and other men of color learn how to end their involvement in cycles of violence against women.

2. Read more HERE

State Coalition Certification Training Culturally-Specific Contributor (ICADV):​

1. ICADV (Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence) has member programs that provide direct services for victim-survivors of DV. These service providers must certify their advocates who work with the victim-survivors. 

2. ICADV was in the process of updating their certification's training materials

3. ICADV commissioned me to provide culturally-informed services to Black women DV victim-survivors

4. That training is now embedded in the modules utilized to certify advocates throughout the state

National Expertise 

Safe and Together Institute North American Conference Speaker/Trainer:

Keynote Speaker for New Mexico Conference:

1. This organization provides ongoing training and support for child protective services orgs, judges, attorneys, law enforcement, and others 

2. It teaches them to hold the perpetrator accountable for violence, acknowledge and work with the protective factors already being utilized by the victim-survivor, and not punish the safe parent and children for the perpetrator's violence

3. I provided interactive training to help them understand the modified protective factors of Black women, the collision of the history of child protective services and Black women in America in the daily life and parenting choices of Black women/mothers/survivors, and how to increase safe spaces within these systems with this knowledge for Black women

New York Council of State Governments Project:

Project Subject Matter Expert.

1. Council of State Governments Justice Center in NY wanted to utilize subject matters experts from difference communities of color to inform this project

2. The project is helping NY State see which un/underserved communities it is not presently not serving well or at all, find out how to remedy that, and provide recommendations to the State

3. I am one of the SMEs leading this project in various ways including providing recommendations for surveys for victims and their families, recommendations for surveys to victim service providers, as well as virtual or in-person visits with orgs throughout the state of NY

International Expertise:

Safe and Together Institute European Conference Panelist and Speaker: 

• Coercive control expert along with 3 others

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This statewide, national, and international expert representation of the work of Courageous Fire, LLC is on the rise, which is good news for Black women in America!