She Who Dares- Angie Conn

10/08/2026

And I sat on a panel a few years ago with some prominent people who said, (when they were asked about labor trafficking in West Virginia) “WV doesn’t have a problem with labor trafficking.” Which he said with confidence ( ummmmmmm, sir! If we have one child (or adult) that’s labor trafficked in our state WE MOST DEFINITELY HAVE A HUGE PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!! Here are five children and that’s because the traffickers (the kids foster parents) were caught! What about the others who aren’t caught! Smdh

WEST VIRGINIA PAYS $4.4 MILLION TO FIVE ADOPTED KIDS WHO WERE FORCED INTO SLAVE-LIKE CONDITIONS AFTER CPS FAILED TO RESCUE THEM
📍Sissonville, West Virginia (Kanawha County)

Jeanne Kay Whitefeather and Donald Ray Lantz, a white couple, adopted five Black siblings while living in Minnesota. In 2018 they moved the kids to a farm in Washington state, and in 2023 they moved again to Sissonville, West Virginia. At that point the kids were between 5 and 16. They were homeschooled.

Neighbors noticed right away. They testified that they never saw the kids play, and that Donald made them stand in line or do hard labor around the yard like lifting heavy things. Once he realized neighbors were watching, the kids mostly stayed inside. Neighbors called CPS multiple times.

On Oct. 2, 2023, about five months after the family arrived, a neighbor called 911 after seeing Donald lock the oldest girl and her teenage brother, 16 and 14, in a shed on the property and drive off. Kanawha County deputies found them locked in a closed-off area of the barn with no running water or bathroom. Another girl was inside the house. When Donald came back he had a fourth child with him, and he led deputies to a friend's home where the fifth, a 5-year-old girl, was staying.

At trial in January 2025, the oldest daughter testified the kids slept on the floor, used buckets as toilets and rarely bathed. She said they were cursed at all the time and that Jeanne used racist language, and prosecutors introduced racist text messages they said came from her. Jeanne was also convicted of spraying the four oldest kids with bear spray. A financial analyst testified the couple collected $318,000 in child assistance from Minnesota alone.

On Jan. 29, 2025, the jury convicted Jeanne on all 19 counts, including human trafficking, forced labor, child abuse causing injury, gross neglect and four counts of civil rights violations based on race. Donald was convicted of 12 counts and acquitted on the civil rights charges. On March 19, 2025, Judge Maryclaire Akers gave them both the max: up to 215 years for Jeanne and up to 160 years for Donald, plus $280,000 each in restitution. She told them they brought these kids to West Virginia and put them in hell, and the court would now put them in theirs.

Now the kids are getting money from the state. On Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, Judge Akers approved a $4.4 million settlement with the West Virginia Department of Human Services over CPS failures, paid through the state's Board of Risk Management. That's a little under $900,000 per child, the most each could get under state limits, and it's going into trusts.

Their attorney, Dante' diTrapano, says neighbors made a ton of calls and CPS made maybe one visit. In 2023, the state couldn't produce any records showing CPS ever contacted the kids while it had a referral about slave-like conditions in its system. Trial testimony showed CPS left a card on the door, and diTrapano says CPS later interviewed the kids within earshot of their parents. Gov. Patrick Morrisey's office says the employee involved was fired under the previous administration.

All five kids have been adopted by new families, and two of their new moms told the court about their lives now, including a trip to the beach. DiTrapano and the Salango Law Firm now plan to go after Washington state's Human Services Department for approving the move to West Virginia despite prior abuse reports there. Washington has no cap on damages.

Del. Hollis Lewis plans to reintroduce a bill in 2027 that would require families who move to West Virginia and plan to homeschool to notify DHS.

09/28/2026

Rethinking Peer Recruitment with Youth Who have experienced CSEC

This webinar explores peer recruitment through a trauma-informed lens, focusing on the behaviors, pressures, and survival strategies that can lead survivors to recruit others. Participants will examine why peer recruitment occurs, how trauma, coercion, and unmet needs influence behavior, and what prevention looks like without punishment or shame. The session emphasizes practical, compassionate strategies for creating safer environments, strengthening engagement, and reducing recruitment risk while preserving dignity and trust.

This webinar explores peer recruitment through a trauma-informed le...

09/13/2026

WV again!!!!!!

MAKE HIM FAMOUS: A West Virginia principal is in jail after deputies found hidden cameras in girls' locker rooms at Brooke High School.
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Eric Michael James, 53, was arrested September 3 in Wellsburg and charged with felony wiretapping and entering a school area to commit a crime. Bond is $100,000 cash, and he has not entered a plea.
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Sheriff Rich Beatty said four devices were pulled from the girls' PE locker room and a separate varsity locker room. Two more were in a dance-team changing area.
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Beatty said the first device showed James setting it in place and adjusting the angle. Investigators stopped the playback after the opening frame showed a female student and sent the units to the state crime lab.
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James later told police he placed the devices, according to local reporting. Electronics were seized from the school and from his Marshall County home.
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Civil suits by students allege he would unlock a locker room, let a girl in, then disappear. The filings claim he went to watch a live feed while she changed.
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The board suspended him as principal. Lawmakers now say secretly filming in a locker room can still be a first-offense misdemeanor under West Virginia code, which is why prosecutors used other felony statutes.
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Add this to the massive list of reasons why you should homeschool your kids.
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09/08/2026

Reframing the Conversation is a webinar series that addresses the intersection of po*******hy with today’s most pressing issues. Each live conversation engages subject matter experts who are leading the way to end the youth p**n crisis, inviting questions and offering actionable solutions.

THIS MONTH IS:

Navigating Puberty in a Pornified, Digital World
Free live webinar: Monday, September 14, from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET

Sign Up:
https://culturereframed.org/events/webinars/ -up

As kids head back to school, they are returning not only to classrooms, friendships, sports, and social pressures — but to a digital world that never turns off. What happens when puberty collides with a hypers*xualized, always-connected world?

Puberty has always been confusing, but today’s adolescents are navigating it alongside hypers*xualized social media, po*******hy, AI-generated content, and constant peer comparison. They are exposed to this overload of information and misinformation often with little guidance from the trusted adults in their lives.

Join Culture Reframed and Dr. Cara Natterson, a leading voice in puberty and adolescent health, for a candid conversation about what young people are really experiencing — and how parents, caregivers, and youth-serving professionals can get ahead of it.

Attendees will walk away with:

1. A clearer picture of what kids are navigating beneath the surface and online — from body image to s*xual pressures and risk-taking behavior.
2. An understanding of why puberty, adolescence, and the back-to-school season are a critical window for proactive conversations about hypers*xualized media, po*******hy, and online safety.
3. Insight into why online safety is about more than screen time — it’s about knowing what kids are seeing, searching, sharing, and creating.
4. Practical language and tools to start conversations that matter — before the internet becomes a kid’s primary source of s*x education.

Check out the website at- https://culturereframed.org/

08/19/2026

08/11/2026

What happens when a young person being exploited recruits a peer? And what does it cost that youth when we treat them as the offender?
Join Safe House Project for our next webinar, Rethinking Peer Recruitment and Survivor Safety with Youth

📅 Thursday, August 27th
🕘 9:00–10:00 a.m. PT | 12:00–1:00 p.m. ET
📍 Register Here-
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Vxr5o2EPRqGLkVYiYKfsog?utm_campaign=Webinar&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--Bwoh2KqXh5Mw4mbOs5z8Tj-r_3PCvCjNvetOx_1RRGbQqorkMD_izjgicF2kngP1tH41LrVsxUmSILaCxK0QanRhu0A&_hsmi=432291065&utm_content=432163387&utm_source=hs_email #/registration

Peer recruitment is one of the most misunderstood dynamics in youth exploitation. The young person who recruits is too often blamed alongside the trafficker — when the truth is almost always that they were failed first.

This webinar is a practitioner conversation about shifting that conversation: off the youth and towards understanding the systems that created the conditions. More than that, it's about what comes next — equipping providers to actually help.

This webinar brings together practitioners to talk discuss:

Why the way we talk about peer recruitment has to change — and what the "offender" framing costs the youth

What's really happening for a young person who recruits a peer
Where the systems around these youth fail them, and where blame gets misplaced

What genuinely helpful support looks like in practice — and what every provider can do differently

If you work with exploited youth in any capacity — whether you serve them directly, support their families, or sit at the table when these cases come up — this conversation is for you.

All webinars are recorded. Register even if you can’t attend live, and we’ll send you the full recording afterward.

A verification of attendance will be emailed to those who join the webinar live. Note: Certificates are not available for recording viewers.

If you’d like to make sure you always receive invites to our webinars or know someone who would, sign up here:
https://share.hsforms.com/1DztigEhARFunV60H3EY5jAdfrgc?__hstc=138085615.4f22f8fe8fd6daf8b2842ea9a05046a2.1737069240757.1738965473119.1739204196996.12&__hssc=138085615.2.1739204196996&__hsfp=2816761639&utm_campaign=Webinar&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_FqX3nXCKVL95lctFvJU1FIBuTl1VQEsVvYYa6cGBzgXyQAX8DI3rqRzmIG5Yl51E3P8dc53ABQmSthxv3F4Y7lEJneQ&_hsmi=432291065&utm_content=432163387&utm_source=hs_email

07/12/2026

‼️ School Clothing Allowance Program OPENING 👚👖🧥👕👔🧦

‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️The West Virginia Department of Human Services (DoHS), Bureau for Family Assistance will begin accepting school clothing allowance applications on Monday, July 20, 2026, for eligible children enrolled in West Virginia schools. All families must apply and may do so online at www.wvpath.wv.gov or by requesting a paper application be mailed to them by contacting their local DOHS office or by calling 1-877-716-1212.

More info: https://us5.campaign-archive.com/?u=e6b283440c5bff3bbec0c3214&id=8b9252c6dd

07/08/2026

Strangulation is one of the most dangerous forms of violence — and one of the most underrecognized. It often leaves no visible marks. Survivors may look and feel fine and have no idea they were injured. And most programs in this field haven't accessed training to recognize it.

Join Safe House Project for our next webinar, The Hidden Danger: Why Strangulation Training is Essential for Human Trafficking Organizations.
📅 Friday, July 31st
⏱️ 9:00–10:00 a.m. PT | 12:00–1:00 p.m. ET
📍Register here - https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_seAVLtqQQk6QHrs1lQUzTg

Most service providers working in the trafficking field have never received specialized strangulation training—not because it isn't needed, but because it hasn't been positioned as part of this work. It should be. Standard trauma-informed training doesn't cover strangulation's unique medical risks. General safety planning doesn't address the delayed, invisible, and life-threatening injuries that can follow a strangulation incident. And without knowing what to look for, providers may miss a critical window to support a survivor's safety.

⚠️ This webinar brings together experts to talk about the following:

📌 Why strangulation is so prevalent in trafficking situations and why it's so often overlooked
📌 The medical and safety stakes—what providers need to understand about invisible injury
📌 What specialized strangulation training covers and who it's designed for
📌 How to make the case internally to get your organization trained

🔍 NOTE: This webinar is not a strangulation training itself — it is an introduction to why that training matters and how to access it.

‼️ If you work with survivors of trafficking in any capacity — whether as an advocate, case manager, safe home staff, or system partner — this conversation is for you.

06/17/2026

Have you ever wanted to refer a parent somewhere for support and had nowhere to send them? Have you ever wondered what it would take for a family to actually be ready when a youth comes back?

Join us next Friday for Supporting Parents of Victims of Trafficking
Friday, June 26th
9:00–10:00 a.m. PT | 12:00–1:00 p.m. ET
Register Here.
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8g7aYdFZTEeS9iGwItHcYg?utm_campaign=Webinar&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8f6e4UVIiFnPIC0NkSR4AkP97YbFOvW8Wh5eHcmmPDTKqQ-wjWmbo5sc2ugAoOBYIWsszxju_uumK146uGAyIxafw7wg&_hsmi=424256280&utm_content=424256280&utm_source=hs_email #/registration

Supporting parents of trafficking victims is some of the most complicated work in this field—and most providers have no infrastructure for it. The parent is not your client, but what they do or don't do directly affects the youth you're serving.

This webinar is a practitioner conversation about what that work actually looks like, what makes it hard, and what a handful of people around the country are doing to fill the gap.

If you know of additional resources available to support parents of people who have experienced trafficking, please email me to have them shared with all participants! All webinars are recorded. Register even if you can’t attend live, and we’ll send you the full recording afterward.

06/08/2026

For anyone that has survived a loved one that has been a victim of social media June 23rd 2026 is Social Media Victims Remembrance Day in Washington DC. We will remember every child lost. But remembrance is not enough. It is a time for us to advocate and elevate our voices and demand protections for children from harmful and unregulated online platforms!

It’s too soon to tell if this week’s jury decisions will lead to fundamental changes in how social media treats its young users.