Bianca Davis and her team at New Friends New Life are shining a light on an issue that’s all too often kept in the dark.

Texas ranks No. 2 in the nation for the most cases of human trafficking, according to the organization. And it’s happening here in North Texas. Last year, the 25-year-old nonprofit helped 350 women and girls get a fresh start.

Human trafficking, which involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to compel someone to either commit a sexual act or to work against his or her will, can disproportionately affect women and girls of color, and often thrives as a result of other socioeconomic and racial disparities. “Because the average age a girl is trafficked is 15 years old, we educate our teen girls and boys about this issue,” the nonprofit says.

Human Trafficking Awareness Month, in January, was a reminder that human trafficking exists in our world—and in our communities—and Davis, the CEO of NFNL, wants people to join the fight. A charter bus excursion sponsored by its men’s advocacy group helps people learn about the realities of trafficking “happening anywhere and everywhere”—not only in areas that you might expect.

NFNL was recently the recipient of a $150,000 lead grant from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute of The Dallas Foundation. It was also named as one of 11 awardees across three countries to receive funding from The Slalom Foundation as part of the Social Equality Initiative.

A version of this story was originally published in Dallas Innovates 2023.

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