** Disclaimer: This episode contains graphic content, sexual abuse, violence and other mature themes and is not intended for children. Some listeners may find the material disturbing, triggering and offensive. Listener discretion is advised.

In the previous episode of Reppin, I had the opportunity to speak with Sara Kruzan, a survivor of child sex trafficking. Sara was only 11 years old when she met a man who groomed and sold her for sex. From the time she was 13 to 16 years old, Sara was systematically trafficked and violated. When she finally managed to escape from this vicious cycle, Sara was manipulated by a local criminal who used her as bait to rob and, ultimately, kill the man who had trafficked her. Sara went to trial, where the history of abuse with her trafficker was not admitted into court as evidence. Despite being a juvenile, she was sentenced as an adult to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Sara's experience as a child was one of repeated victimization by the adults in her life, from her abusive mother to the school authorities and doctors who failed to adequately follow up on obvious signs of violence, to the justice system and society as a whole. Cori Thomas is an award-winning playwright, an advocate for the incarcerated, and the co-author of Sara’s gripping memoir, I Cried to Dream Again: Trafficking, Murder, and Deliverance (Pantheon Press.) Cori was front and center, walking beside Sara as they collaborated to recap her past. As my guest on the show, Cori takes us behind the scenes to describe what they had to do to tell this powerful story with honesty and heart. The episode brings you all the details of Sara’s experience, what it was like to work together, and how Sara's story impacted and inspired Cori. Don’t miss the conclusion of this powerful and uplifting conversation.

Be sure to purchase a copy of her powerful page-turner of a memoir: I Cried to Dream Again: Trafficking, Murder, and Deliverancehttps://bookshop.org/p/books/i-cried-to-dream-again-trafficking-murder-and-deliverance-a-memoir-sara-kruzan/17377464?ean=9780593315880

If you would like to learn more, help or TO GET HELP:

humanrightsforkids.org

rights4girls.org 

worldwithoutexploitation.org

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