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From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO LISA C. WILLIAMS
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HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN
of south carolina
in the house of representatives
Friday, January 10, 2020
Mr. CLYBURN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a great
humanitarian, a proud military veteran, and a woman some call ``a
latter-day Harriett Tubman.'' Lisa C. Williams is a survivor, a fighter
and a champion for all who have been sexually exploited. She is an
inspiration and an example of how one person can make a tremendous
change in the world.
A U.S. Air Force and Army commissioned officer, Ms. Williams left the
service with an honorable discharge and set her sights on helping women
and children victimized by sex trafficking, sexual exploitation, and
intimate partner violence. Drawing from her own experiences to find
freedom from a life of trauma and sexual abuse, she founded Circle of
Friends: Celebrating Life, Inc., in 1999. She has worked for more than
twenty years to help educate, equip, and empower women to live their
best lives, free of violence.
As the founder of Living Water Learning Resource Center, Ms. Williams
has developed a program that the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)
calls ``one of the most comprehensive, rehabilitative programs for
child victims of sex trafficking in the country.'' Over the years, she
has helped hundreds of children and young women reclaim their lives
from sexual abuse.
Ms. Williams is an author, an orator, and a thought leader and has
taken her message to the White House and the United Nations. She
travels the world as a motivational Speaker for the Centre for H.O.P.E.
(Helping Other People Excel), and hosts the podcast Front Porch
Conversations.
I have grown to know Ms. Williams through her partnership and support
of the annual National Health Disparities Conference, which I help
coordinate with the Medical University of South Carolina and can attest
to her powerful presence and message.
Her work has been featured in numerous publications, including: O
Magazine, Essence, Ebony, Glamour, Black Enterprise, Good Housekeeping,
Woman's Day, Cosmopolitan, and Seventeen. She has appeared in film and
television on the award-winning CNN Special Report: Children for Sale:
The Fight to End Human Trafficking, CNN International News, CNN Freedom
Project, BBC Brazil, and C-SPAN.
Ms. Williams has been honored by numerous organizations, including
CNN, Ford Motor Company, Porsche USA, YWCA, Glamour, and L'Oreal Paris.
She earned a Bachelor of Science from Campbell University, a Masters
of Arts from Bowie State University and attended a doctoral program at
Virginia Tech. Ms. Williams latest endeavor is establishing the Circle
of Friends Impact and Circle of Friends Impact Legacy Scholarship Fund
endowments at Boston University.
To honor her contributions, the university will dedicate the Lisa C.
Williams Listening Room in her honor at the Howard Thurman Center for
Common Ground. This room is a safe space for quiet meditation,
introspection and contemplation, which is being dedicated on Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day this year. The room dedication is part of a
program spotlighting women who advocate for social justice.
Madam Speaker, I ask you and our colleagues to join me in applauding
the selfless work that Lisa C. Williams has done to end sexual
exploitation and help those who have been victimized by this brutal
crime to live their best lives. She is a true example of selfless
service for country and community, and her work has changed so many
lives, including her own. I offer Ms. Williams best wishes as she is
honored in Boston, and I look forward to watching her ongoing efforts
and their tremendous impacts.
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