January, 2016 is proclaimed asNational Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.  During the month there are ongoing education and awareness opportunities in every city across the nation.

Dottie Laster will be appearing at several venues in the San Antonio, TX area to educate citizens about the perils of modern-day slavery. As  National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month folds into February’s Black History Month, Laster will have the opportunity to compare the historical context of slavery to how it applies today.

New Braunfels Women’s Chamber of Commerce

On Thursday, January 21, 2016 Laster addresses the New Braunfels Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Their luncheon will take place at the Mckenna Events Center, 801 W San Antonio St., New Braunfels, TX 78130 from 11:30am-1pm.  More details can be found at their website: http://nbwcc.com/calendar/#!event/2016/1/21/nbwcc-luncheon

San Antonio Against Slavery

On Tuesday, January 26, 2016 there will be a screening of the documentary The Cantinera with a question and answer session after the film. Hosting the event is the organization San Antonio Against Slavery and will be held at Wayland Baptist University – Main Campus at 11550 IH 35 North, Room 102 from 7pm-8:30pm. For details about the organization and upcoming events refer to their website: http://www.saagainstslavery.com/events.php

Dottie Laster and her work are featured in The Cantinera which is the story of a woman of a woman who was forced by her mother to drink with men in Latin bars when she was thirteen years old. Twenty-three years later, she is still drinking thirty beers a night, five nights a week, but longs for sobriety and a second chance.

The life of the Cantinera, and others captured in the sex trafficking industry, is as gritty as portrayed in the film and not censored. Viewers will see first hand how young women caught in the grip of trafficking are at the mercy those who hold them in their control.

New Braunfels Library

Tuesday, February 9, 2016 Dottie Laster returns to the New Braunfels Library, 700 E. Common St. for an event honoring Black History Month. She will speak on Frederick Douglass and the Abolitionist Movement from 7pm-8pm in the Meeting Room at the main branch.

Laster has had the opportunity to study the works of Frederick Douglass which inspires her to continue her work against slavery of all kinds.

She will also speak about Hiram Wilson, an emancipated slave whose family founded a pottery business in nearby Seguin, TX. The Wilsons learned their craft as slaves and, after being emancipated, continued by becoming Texas’ first black entrepreneurs.

Dottie Laster spent the last 13 years in the effort of the anti-human trafficking movement nationally and in her home state of Texas. She is the co-founder of the San Antonio, Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking and the past Administrator of the Orange County, California Human Trafficking Task Force and has successfully written millions in grants to assist children and victims of human trafficking.

Along with her position as Executive Director at Heidi Search Center, Laster is the Anti-Trafficking Coordinator with the Bernardo Kohler Center as an accredited representative recognized by the Bureau of Immigration Appeals to practice immigration law under BKC.

Laster is featured in the documentary on sex trafficking in Latin bars and cantinas, The Cantinera, and her direct rescue work is the subject of the MSNBC Documentary, Sex Slaves: Texas Rescue. She is the recipient of several human rights awards and has been featured in numerous publications including recent issues of Texas Monthly, Town Hall, and MORE Magazine.

To bring Dottie Laster to your community or event, please contact ImaginePublicity, Tel: 843-808-0859 or Email: contact@imaginepublicity.com