lauradean.bsky.social - Profile | ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

#AcWri from the fair trade coffee shop in Springfield today while my students are at Model Illinois Government. Nice to get in a few words before a full day at the capitol today and also meet some friends from the human trafficking task force.

submitted 21 hours ago • 0 comments

Engaging conversation tonight with Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum for our Spring 2025 Thomas W. Ewing Lecture at Millikin University. I really enjoyed her conversational approach to talking about race and representation in higher education.

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

Counter trafficking programs sponsored by USAID have contributed to and shaped my research in Ukraine. I wrote an article based on my personal experience seeing the effects of these programs in source countries. It was published on SlaveFree Today! 🇺🇦 slavefreetoday.org/usaid-propos...

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

I visited the Unissued Diplomas exhibition when I was in Champaign yesterday. This exhibit is part of a global student-led initiative spanning over 45 universities and shares the stories of 40 Ukrainian students whose lives were cut short by Russia’s full-scale invasion. 🇺🇦

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

My article "Human Trafficking Dynamics and Prevention Efforts as an Outcome of Russia’s War on #Ukraine" in this issue is open access. Check out my findings from interviews with Ukrainian #HumanTrafficking organizations about their perspectives combatting trafficking in war! 🇺🇦

submitted 4 days ago • 0 comments

It's always a good day to protest Russian aggression but today was a lovely sunny day in Central Illinois. Thanks to the students at the U of Illinois for organizing the Rally for Just Peace in #Ukraine. Thankful to commemorate this somber anniversary with colleagues! 🇺🇦

submitted 4 days ago • 0 comments

My book Diffusing Human Trafficking Policy in Eurasia is featured in this collection! Never thought I would be someone who studied human trafficking and migration dynamics during war but when Russia started a war in Ukraine 🇺🇦 in 2014 I had to learn.....

submitted 4 days ago • 0 comments

Getting ready for the rally for a just peace in Ukraine at the University of Illinois tomorrow. I have really upped my poster game over the last three years since the full scale invasion! Don't forget to #StandwithUkraine

submitted 5 days ago • 2 comments

Working on some conclusions today for a Sunday installment of #AcWri this week. Got a nice cow as my sticker this week and it's a lovely spring-like day outside so things are looking up. Happy writing everyone! 📚🇱🇻

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

We are a finalist for The Liberator Award! Thanks to everyone who voted for the Human Trafficking Research Lab at Millikin! You can support my students' travels to Columbus, Ohio in March for the final 👇 www.humantraffickingresearchlab.org/p/donate-to-...

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

Friends in Central Illinois join me at this rally in Champaign to support #Ukraine on the 3rd anniversary of the brutal Russian invasion. While you are in town you can also check out the Unissued Diplomas Pop-Up Exhibition. Hope to see you there! 🇺🇦 facebook.com/events/s/uni...

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

Happy Issue Day (Vol 53 Issue 1) to my article "Human Trafficking Dynamics and Prevention Efforts as an Outcome of Russia’s War on #Ukraine." I conducted interviews with 🇺🇦 #HumanTrafficking orgs in early 2023 amid blackouts and internet outages. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

submitted 10 days ago • 1 comment

The beginning of the end.....starting to write the conclusion of my book Gendering the Saeima: The Politics of Women's Representation in #Latvia. I always struggle writing conclusions but after five years I will definitely be ready to be done with this book soon(ish)! #AcWri🇱🇻📚

submitted 13 days ago • 0 comments

Lots of new updates to our Human Trafficking Research Lab blog. Don't forget Sunday is the last day to vote for us for the Liberator Awards, please support us in making it to the finals! www.humantraffickingresearchlab.org/2025/02/mill...

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments

#AcWri Saturday view today. Hoping to finish the edits and revisions to the last chapter of my book on women's work in the Latvian Saeima this weekend! 🇱🇻 Then only the conclusion and methodological appendix are left before my book due date in March....so close to being done 📚

submitted 20 days ago • 1 comment

New running shoes today! Likely the first and last day they will look this nice in a pretty light shade of purple! 💜 Spring running definitely does a number on light colored shoes..... 👟

submitted 23 days ago • 0 comments

Page proofs days are always good #AcWri days! Looking forward to seeing this article "Safety is an Illusion: Conducting Feminist Research in War Zones" coming out in Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization's summer issue! 🇺🇦

submitted 23 days ago • 1 comment

The Human Trafficking Research Lab at Millikin University was nominated for a 2025 Liberator Award, the Oscars of human trafficking awards! Please vote for us to make it to the finals (link posted in the comments). millikin.edu/news-events/...

submitted 25 days ago • 1 comment

My Human Trafficking Research Lab RA was on the radio in the morning and the news last night talking about our panel discussion Policing Human Trafficking: Developments and Challenges. My students love their time in the limelight! www.wandtv.com/news/videos/...

submitted 29 days ago • 0 comments

We had a great mix of community members, faculty, and students at our Policing Human Trafficking: Developments and Challenges panel discussion tonight. So great to see many colleagues and former students working in the anti-trafficking field for #HumanTraffickingPreventionMonth!

submitted 30 days ago • 0 comments

I was on Byers and Co this morning with an RA who is working in the Human Trafficking Research Lab. We talked about our research and the panel discussion tonight Policing Human Trafficking: Developments and Challenges as part of Human Trafficking Prevention Month! omny.fm/shows/byers-...

submitted 30 days ago • 0 comments

Here is our WAND interview on tonight's news about our research on trafficking in Central Illinois and our event tomorrow Policing Human Trafficking: Developments and Challenges! www.wandtv.com/news/milliki...

submitted 31 days ago • 0 comments

Just finished our interview with WAND News for Human Trafficking Prevention Month! We talked about our research in the Human Trafficking Research Lab and the panel discussion tomorrow Policing Human Trafficking: Developments and Challenges. Look for us on the news tonight!

submitted 31 days ago • 0 comments

Took a break from writing to watch the Millikin women's basketball beat North Park University today 72-61. Always fun to cheer on one of my pols majors in her college sport! 🏀

submitted 34 days ago • 0 comments

Going into 2025 with these vibes! Saturday #AcWri trying to finish up my women's work chapter this week so I can start final editing and writing up my conclusions in February. It's definitely crunch time for my book Gendering the Saeima: The Politics of Women's Representation in #Latvia! 🇱🇻

submitted 34 days ago • 1 comment

Our 8th annual panel discussion for #HumanTraffickingPreventionMonth entitled "Policing Human Trafficking: Developments and Challenges" is next Wednesday. Here is a nice write up in Now Decatur if you want to learn more about it! nowdecatur.com/2025/01/22/l...

submitted 35 days ago • 0 comments

I got a new gavel for Christmas and used it this week for my model government class. I can finally retire my husband's 20 year old Student Senate gavel that has served me well through 11 years of teaching. My students wanted to make sure the old gavel had a nice retirement since it lived a good life

submitted 35 days ago • 0 comments

The Human Trafficking Research Lab Millikin braved the freezing temps and attended the Decatur City Council meeting tonight. My research assistant read a proclamation for #HumanTraffickingPreventionMonth to the city council and had it signed by the mayor of Decatur!

submitted 38 days ago • 0 comments

My article "Human Trafficking Dynamics and Prevention Efforts as an Outcome of Russia’s War on #Ukraine" in @nationalitiesp.bsky.social is now open access so everyone can read it! A very timely development during #HumanTraffickingPreventionMonth! 🇺🇦

submitted 40 days ago • 0 comments

A cold last #AcWri edition of winter break compiling women's work data in the 🇱🇻 Saeima. Being on a deadline meant I didn't really get a ton of time to relax this break but I met my writing goals. Not ready for classes to start again on Tuesday but glad the 📚 is almost done!

submitted 40 days ago • 0 comments

The January Policy Press 50% off sale is here! If you have been waiting to buy my book Diffusing Human Trafficking Policy in Eurasia or any of their other books on trafficking for #HumanTraffickingPreventionMonth now is the time. All of my proceeds are donated to shelters in 🇺🇦&🇱🇻!

submitted 41 days ago • 1 comment

Illinois Task Force on Human Trafficking meeting today with an interesting report from the National Institute of Justice on "Understanding the Trafficking of Children for the Purposes of Labor in the United States" presented by Katherine Kaufka Walts for #HumanTraffickingPreventionMonth

submitted 45 days ago • 0 comments

I have read drafts of this legislation over the years since I serve on the policy subcommittee of the state task force so it will be interesting to see the bill. Advocates have wanted to introduce this for years but since it was an election year they were told to wait www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...

submitted 45 days ago • 0 comments

At the Millikin Human Trafficking Research Lab we wear blue a lot because we are the Big Blue but today we are wearing blue to participate in #WearBlueDay and raise awareness to human trafficking in our community for National Human Trafficking Awareness Day!

submitted 48 days ago • 0 comments

I will be a Visiting Fellow at the @leibniz-ios.de in Regensburg Germany for a month this summer! Looking forward to spending some more time on my Ukraine related research, living in a pretty historic town in Germany, and connecting with some amazing scholars! leibniz-ios.de/en/knowledge...

submitted 50 days ago • 0 comments

Framed a print of a painting by a Ukrainian artist that my sister bought at the Ukrainian holiday market in MN. Now I just have to figure out where to put it and find the wall space in my office..... 🇺🇦

submitted 51 days ago • 0 comments

We just added another panelist to our discussion for #HumanTraffickingPreventionMonth! We will have three different policing agencies (FBI, DHS and ISP) and a colleague from the Legal Aid Society talking about the influence of this policing on her work with victims/survivors.

submitted 53 days ago • 1 comment

So exciting! Straume/Flow is the first Latvian film to win a Golden Globe! Apsveicu visiem!

submitted 54 days ago • 0 comments