USM’s student Coalition Against Human Trafficking and the Center for Human Trafficking Research and Training are partnering with the local Domestic Abuse Family Shelter to host survivor, author and activist Theresa Flores at USM. Flores will tell her personal sex trafficking experience and talk about her Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling book, “The Slave Across the Street.”

In this powerful true story, Flores shares how her life as an All-American teenager who could have been your neighbor was enslaved into the dangerous world of sex trafficking while living in an upper-middle class suburb of Detroit. Her story tells of horrific criminal activity and gives dedicated activists, as well as casual bystanders, a glimpse into the underbelly of trafficking.

Flores will share her story and mission to find missing children and end human trafficking. She has received numerous awards for her bravery in speaking out but also for her work in rescuing missing teens during major sporting events. She has received the L’Oréal Women of Worth Award, the Courage Award from former Ohio Gov. John Kasich and has the distinct honor of having a law named after her in Michigan.