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Akil the MC,
Agneta Falk,
Anne Bissell,
Aya de Leon,
Jennifer Johns,
Kim Clark,
Kim Sims-Battiste,
Marina Gatto,
Lt. Mary Petrie,
Medusa, Melissa
Farley, Mystic,
Nola Brantley
ANNE
BISSELL
"MEMOIRS
OF A SEX-INDUSTRY SURVIVOR," Author
PANEL
"Rape
Slavery:
Sex-Trafficking in San Francisco"
Anne Bissell,
a third-generation writer and former technical
writer in the computer industry, has a Bachelor
of Arts (Visual Performing Arts/Journalism)
from the University of Maryland. She has worked
for well over fifteen years as a professional
writer, and has also earned a certificate in
writing from the University of California, San
Diego. She is the author of the popular new
book "Memoirs of a sex Industry Survivor."
Bissell has
studied women in the sex industry for over two
decades. She has worked successfully with women
in the criminal justice system with the mission
to help them get out of prostitution. She lives
with her husband and son in Southern California.
Anne has been a guest on scores of radio and
TV Shows including FOX Network News.
AKIL
THE MC
myspace.com/akilthe1mc
PANEL
"Sistaz,
My Sistaz:
Women & Men Addressing Misogyny and Reclaiming
Hip-Hop"
(also speaking: Mystic,
Medusa, Kim
Sims-Battiste and Jennifer
Johns)
Akil is one
of the MCs from the infamous hip hop group Jurassic
5. Branding their name in the hip hop history
books, Jurassic 5 was picked up by Interscope.
Akil has penned many of their infamous songs
noted by Jurassic 5, “Concrete school
yard,” “Quality Control” and
“Thin Line” featuring Nelly Furtado.
He also added his talent as a producer to help
create the Jurassic 5 formula. This formula
opened doors for Jurassic 5 to travel worldwide
planting seeds for the hip hop culture. With
the current status of Jurassic 5 taking a vacation,
Akil has pursued a solo career. Setting out
on a mission to fulfill what is in his bloodline.
His mother a dancer and father a DJ music and
entertainment was meant to be. Soon releasing
his Collection of Expressions. Showing his skills
on his first solo project Akil takes the opportunity
to present his talent. Collection of Expressions
is full of lyrical display as well as tracks
that Jurassic 5 fans are waiting for.
AYA
DE LEON
www.ayadeleon.com
PANEL
"Sistaz,
My Sistaz:
Women & Men Addressing Misogyny and Reclaiming
Hip-Hop"
(also speaking: Mystic,
Medusa, Kim
Sims-Battiste and Akil
the MC)
Writer/performer
Aya de Leon lives in the Oakland Bay Area. Her
work has received acclaim in the Village Voice,
Washington Post, American Theatre Magazine,
and has been featured on Def Poetry and in Essence.
She was named best discovery in theater for
2004 by the SF Chronicle for "Thieves in
the Temple : The Reclaiming of Hip Hop,"
a solo show about fighting sexism and commercialism
in hip hop. Also in 2004, she received a Goldie
award from the SF Bay Guardian in spoken word.
In 2005 she was voted "Slamminest Poet"
in the East Bay Express. Aya has been an artist
in residence at Stanford University; she is
a Cave Canem poetry fellow, and a slam poetry
champion. Aya has released three spoken word
CDs. She is currently working on two novels,
a collection of essays about self-love, and
a project on spirituality and hip hop. She is
the Director of June Jordan's Poetry for the
People program, teaching poetry & spoken
word at UC Berkeley. In 2007, she released the
video version of "Thieves..."
AGNETA
FALK
Poet
PANEL
"Rape
Slavery:
Sex-Trafficking in San Francisco"
Agneta Falk
is a poet and visual artist, born in Stockholm
1946. After studying drama and literature, she
moved to England in the late Sixties, where
she worked as a teacher of drama, communication,
literacy and creative writing. From 1992-1999
she was the co-director of Word Hoard, promoting
writing in the community and organizing poetry
events. For seven years she ran a women’s
writing group and also worked with people in
recovery and the mentally handicapped. She’s
had several writing commissions, in collaboration
with photographers and artists. For her first
book in English, Here by Choice ( Trigram Press,
1980), she received a writer’s bursary
from Yorkshire Arts. She co-edited The Long
Pale Corridor with Judi Benson, ( Bloodaxe,
1995), an anthology of bereavement poems, the
first of its kind.
In the late
Nineties she moved to San Francisco, where she
frequently reads her poetry and exhibits. Part
of the year she spends in Italy and England,
where she reads at festivals and other events.
It’s not Love/It’s Love was published
was by Multimedia Edizioni in 2000. Her poetry
has been translated into many languages, and
a forthcoming book of poems is being published
in Venezuela later this year. She’s deeply
committed to working against trafficking, and
has used it as a subject in her poetry. At present
she’s working on her next book of poems.
JENNIFER
JOHNS
www.myspace.com/jenniferjohns
PANEL
"Sistaz,
My Sistaz:
Women & Men Addressing Misogyny and Reclaiming
Hip-Hop"
(also speaking: Mystic,
Medusa, and Akil
the MC)
Innovative,
driven, compassionate, and powerful are all
words that have been used by publicists and
critics alike to describe Oakland, CA born singer,
songwriter, and spoken word artist Jennifer
Johns. With the release of her album ‘Heavyelectromagneticsoularpoeticjunglehop’,
the listening public is getting the chance to
have an opinion too. Jennifer has always been
a "conscious artist" in fusing a social
message with her music. A long time supporter
of Girl Fest, Jennifer has inspired many Hawaii
and Bay Area audiences through her music and
love of social justice for both women and men.
Like many artists today, she has a growing concern
regarding the exploitation and commodification
of Hip-Hop and how many Hip-Hop lyricists create
a misogynist environment through music.
KIM
CLARK
FILM
PRODUCER
www.godandgaysthemovie.com
PANEL
"Boxing
Liberty:
Voices of Youth on Same-Sex Marriage and the
Role of Religion in Politics"
As producer
of the recent SF GLBT International Film Festival
selection, God & Gays: Bridging the Gap,
Kim Clark takes the reconciling message beyond
the screen. She founded a conference and dialogue
workshop called the God & Gays Gathering.
This year it's in August and headlined by Bishop
John Shelby Spong, Rev. Dr. Mel White and many
more. Creating support and education services
such as free live teleconference interviews
every month with Harry Knox from HRC and others,
she passionately helps people become more of
who they are and empowers people to step out
of living as victims. Clark lives by her most
famous quote, "comfort zones are slow dream
killers". Clark is a favorite public speaker
and previously worked as a Line and Associate
Producer for nine documentaries, including award
winning Preemies: Fight for Life airing on the
Discovery Channel
KIM
SIMS-BATTISTE
www.cultureshockdance.org
PANEL
"Sistaz,
My Sistaz:
Women & Men Addressing Misogyny and Reclaiming
Hip-Hop"
(also speaking: Mystic,
Medusa, Jennifer
Johns, and Akil
the MC)
Kim, Executive
Director of Culture Shock Oakland. Kim has been
dancing for over 30 years. She has experience
with working with many mainstream and underground
hip hop artists, and her choreography is unlike
any other. Through her love of hip hop and dance,
Kim has made extreme efforts to infuse tomorrow's
future with inspiration and possibility. Kim's
primary goal with Culture Shock is to offer
children an alternative to street life by providing
a rewarding activity, instilling confidence
and creating a successful environment where
children can flourish.
LT.
MARY PETRIE
SAN FRANCISCO POLICE DEPARTMENT
PANEL
"Rape
Slavery:
Sex-Trafficking in San Francisco"
Lt. Mary Petrie
has been a member of the San Francisco Police
Department for more than 30 years, and was in
the first class of women officers in 1975. She
has worked extensively in Domestic Violence/
Elder Abuse and also been assigned to the Police
Academy, Crime Lab, Narcotics, Patrol, and Crime
Prevention Company. She is the author of numerous
police publications including residential security,
personal safety, and rape awareness.
Currently assigned
to the Vice Crimes Unit, Lt. Petrie oversees
all investigations and complaints regarding
human trafficking including juveniles working
in the sex industry. Vice investigations of
any crimes committed against or by a prostitute,
as well as all alcohol licensing issues and
gambling investigations. Vice also actively
works to "End the Demand" in which
enforcement operations are conducted that target
the customers of women and children in the sex
industry. They also contribute to "First
Offender" educational program for those
customers.
In 2005, The
Dept. of Justice awarded a human trafficking
task force grant to the San Francisco Police
Department, which is the lead local law enforcement
agency for the North Bay Area of California.
Their current investigations are multi-agency
efforts with task force partners from federal
and local law enforcement, and non-governmental
organizations. In addition to providing training
to all sectors, they have developed investigative
techniques and assessment questionnaires for
law enforcement personnel. Recent successful
collaborative cases include Operation Gilded
Cage, which resulted in more than 25 federal
indictments, and a juvenile sex trafficking
case where the defendant is awaiting a potential
forty year sentence.
MARINA
GATTO
ACTIVIST
marinagatto.com
PANEL
"Boxing
Liberty:
Voices of Youth on Same-Sex Marriage and the
Role of Religion in Politics"
An accomplished
and passionate activist since the age of 8 years
old, Marina Gatto, now 19, is a constant fixture
in the media, as a spokesperson and leader for
the LGBT community. She played an integral part
in the great success of Assembly Bill 19, The
Marriage Non Discrimination Act, in 2005. Marina
educated legislatures swaying several key votes
needed to support this bill. As a child of two
lesbian moms, Ramona & Arzu Gatto, Marina
educates people nationwide about LGBT families
and their children, and about the pride that
she has in her family and in her community.
Marina is an inspiration for youth of the LGBT
community, for youth nationwide, and is a voice
for LGBT families, and is a leader of the LGBT
community. She is helping change the landscape
of society, educating nationally on the importance
of equality for all people, all families, and
all children through her tireless activism.
MEDUSA
www.myspace.com/medusa
PANEL
"Sistaz,
My Sistaz:
Women & Men Addressing Misogyny and Reclaiming
Hip-Hop"
(also
speaking: Mystic,
Medusa, Akil
the MC, Kim
Sims-Battiste
and Jennifer Johns)
Once dubbed
“the Angela Davis of hip-hop” Medusa
continues to cultivate hip-hop seeds across
the country in unprecedented numbers. The love
of hip-hop encouraged her to follow higher callings
than her knowing. Pop-lockin with the Groove-Atrons
gave her talents a platform to win the Beset
Female Dancer in the 1st Hip Hop Dance Awards
at The Paladium. “Medusa has been compared
to a medley of amazing artist” Including,
Gil-Scott Heron for their ways of expressing
the revolutionary state of mind, Chuck D. (imagine
a female Chuck D.), Lauren Hill for having the
ability to posses an international talent in
the voice world and like the Game, who’s
a versatile heavy hitter on speaking his life’s
truth’s, Medusa gives you the key to real
truth and allows you to feel it and even though
the comparisons could go on, Medusa is on a
Goddess list of her own. You will find no other
who will bring it to you like this, someone’s
music that makes you feel strong, proud, and
encourages with the manner of ONE Love.
She has also
received a Grammy with the band Ozomatlu and
LA Weekly has voted MEDUSA “BEST HIP-HOP
ARTIST” two years in a row. She was part
of the hot line up for the Beats for Peace Tour
with Slum Village, Pharoahe Monch, Anwar Superstar,
The Jazz and Hip-hop Orchestra, Super Natural,
and Cee-Lo. The Year before that she was a t
the Bumper Shot with De La Soul, Macy Gray,
Common, and the Black Eyed Peas in Seattle,
Washington. Selling out at every venue and killing
the mic on every stage, holding it down independent-indie
style hasn’t been hard when you’re
doing it for the love of music, the reason and
unity.
MELISSA
FARLEY
PROSTITUTION,
RESEARCH & EDUCATION, Director
PANEL
"Rape
Slavery:
Sex-Trafficking in San Francisco"
Dr. Melissa
Farley has practiced clinical psychology for
35 years. She is director of Prostitution, Research
& Education in San Francisco. Prostitution,
Trafficking, and Traumatic Stress (2003), to
which she contributed four articles, has been
used by advocates, students, researchers, governments
and NGOs. In addition to speaking about prostitution
at national and international meetings, Dr.
Farley has provided expert testimony about prostitution
and trafficking in forensic cases. She is a
photographer and multimedia artist.
MYSTIC
www.myspace.com/thatgirlmystic
PANEL
"Sistaz,
My Sistaz:
Women & Men Addressing Misogyny and Reclaiming
Hip-Hop"
(also speaking: Medusa,
Akil the MC,
Kim Sims-Battiste,
and Jennifer Johns)
Originating
from Oakland, CA, hip-hop singer Mystic merges
literate rhymes charged with poetry and a lush
singing voice beaming with a sense of soul.
Signed to the Goodvibe roster -- also including
Slum Village and Bahamadia -- she worked with
a cast of respected underground hip-hop producers
for her 2001 debut album, Cuts for Luck and
Scars for Freedom. She participated in the summer
2001 Tree of Life tour with her labelmates to
promote the album. Her debut was reissued the
following year on Dreamworks with two new songs
appended to the release. ~ Jason Birchmeier,
All Music Guide
NOLA
BRANTLEY
MOTIVATING,
INSPIRING, SUPPORTING and
SERVING SEXUALLY EXPLOITED YOUTH, Co-Founder
PANEL
"Rape
Slavery:
Sex-Trafficking in San Francisco"
At twenty-five
she went to work for the Scotlan Youth and Family
Center to direct a community parenting program.
The community-parenting program was a great
success and she discovered that she had a natural
talent for developing, directing and delivering
community-based services to highly at-risk populations.
It seem to be where she came from, what she
had gone through and what she had witnessed
that made it easy to understand, identify and
find workable solutions to the problems that
plague impoverished, highly at-risk communities.
Over the next
several years she grew the community-parenting
program into an eight-program department, the
Parenting and Youth Enrichment Department. Through
this department she primarily focused on issues
of parenting, teen parenting, child abuse prevention
and girls empowerment. In 2002 she became involved
the effort to help sexually exploited children,
especially in the form of child prostitution.
Since 2002 some of her accomplishments in this
area include: the creation of the first intensive
case management treatment service model for
sexually exploited children especially in the
form of child prostitution in Alameda County,
the development and pioneering of the first
community based intensive case management program
in Alameda County (Oakland), the development
and coordination of the first city-wide sexually
exploited minors specific advocacy program in
Alameda County (Oakland), the implementation
of the first on-call sexually exploited minor
specific advocacy for sexually exploited children
who come into contact with Oakland Police Department,
the implementation of a protocol for sexually
exploited children especially in the form of
child prostitution to receive SEM specific advocacy
and assessment in Alameda County Juvenile Hall,
the establishment of the first Transition/ Recovery
Center for sexually exploited children in Alameda
County, key organization of a sexually exploited
minors Conference (Spring 2005), sexually exploited
minor awareness through several media venues
(KMEL, County Business, Tempo, Hard Knock Radio,
local news) and the establishment of a non-profit
organization specifically and exclusively to
serve the needs of and work on the issue of
sexually exploited minors, MISSSEY.
