Angelique Todd’s presentation will explore the intersection of lived experience, systemic inequity, and professional recognition within the anti-human trafficking and social justice fields. As an award-winning filmmaker and Founder of WE WIN Organization, Angelique will introduce her film, Advocacy is Life or Death, as both a storytelling vehicle and an advocacy tool. The presentation will begin by examining the origins of the film, which was born from frustration with systems that criminalize trauma and marginalize survivor voices. Through the lens of the film, Angelique will highlight how childhood trauma, survival behaviors, and justice involvement are often misunderstood by institutions that lack survivor-informed frameworks. She will then discuss how the film’s Impact Campaign has focused on highlighting the growing demand for survivor-led training and dialogue. Post-screening community discussions, professional development sessions, and cross-sector partnerships that bridge the gap between lived reality and institutional policy have all underscored a critical need: the formal recognition of lived experience as professional expertise. Angelique will conclude by addressing current advocacy efforts aimed at establishing certification pathways for providers with lived experience. She will argue that survivor-leaders routinely perform high-level advocacy, training, and consultation work without credentials that reflect their qualifications. The presentation will emphasize the importance of integrating lived experience into continuing education, organizational leadership, and credentialing systems. By reframing lived experience as applied expertise rather than anecdote, Angelique will challenge professionals to adopt more equitable, trauma-informed practices that elevate survivor voices as essential to systemic reform.
Trigger Warning: This presentation contains information (written, spoken, or visual) that may be triggering or (re)traumatizing to attendees.
Angelique Todd is an award-winning filmmaker, survivor-advocate, and Founder of WE WIN Organization. As creator of Advocacy is Life or Death, she amplifies the voices of justice-impacted women and challenges systemic inequities. Through entrepreneurship, storytelling, and trauma-informed leadership, she transforms lived experience into policy influence, prevention, and sustainable community change.