Center for Justice & Reconciliation
Welcome to the Center for Justice & Reconciliation
"...do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with God."
Micah 6:8
Our Mission
The mission of the Center for Justice & Reconciliation (CJR) is to honor the dignity of all by removing barriers through education, advocacy, and innovation for the flourishing of our community.
Our Vision
We can live in a world free from oppression and exploitation.
Our Values
- Collaboration: When we partner with others, we believe we have a deeper and broader impact on the collective transformation and empowerment of our community.
- Learning: We challenge each other to strive for growth and to continually learn.
- Diversity: We recognize that everyone’s different identities, experiences, and abilities enrich our community. Change can only come when we commit to honor, celebrate, understand, and include our differences.
- Equity: Society has many barriers that favor the few over the many. We believe equity requires constant engagement and are committed to identifying and reducing the barriers we play a part in.
- Rooted in Faith: It is our faith in God and the good news of Christ’s ministry that compel us to pursue an end to all forms of oppression. Believing that each person is created in God’s image, our work centers those on the margins: the widow and orphan, the prisoner and poor, and the immigrant and stranger.
Our Approach
Our faith leads us to proactively face the injustices in our world – specifically human trafficking, racial and immigrant oppression, and unethical consumption – with courage and hope. We do this through three main avenues: education, advocacy, and innovation.
Education
The CJR is dedicated to educating community members, multidisciplinary professionals, and students on how to interrupt injustice in San Diego County. Through HT-RADAR, we focus on equipping multidisciplinary professionals with research that affects best practices, policies, and funding strategies for ending human trafficking. Across PLNU’s campus, our Student Initiatives create opportunities for college students to learn and participate in ethical consumption, racial and immigrant justice, and ending human trafficking. We also host events and conduct presentations throughout San Diego to offer additional opportunities for community members to learn more about how they can participate in the fight to end human trafficking.
Advocacy
Building foundations for long-term, sustainable impact
The CJR is devoted to advocacy because we understand its connection to long-term, sustainable change. We consult on a variety of policy initiatives, such as: national, state, and local legislation; law enforcement practices; public education; hotel and motel industry standards; and public and private social services. In addition, through Churches Against Trafficking (CAT), the CJR activates engagement amongst local churches to help end human trafficking.
Innovation
The CJR is committed to creating innovative programs that address existing needs in our community. The Beauty for Ashes Scholarship Fund empowers survivors of human trafficking to pursue their college degree at PLNU. Our program, kNOw MORE, equips 8th-12th grade youth on how to recognize and respond to grooming and exploitation by engaging them in an interactive, drama-based curriculum. Heading into the future, we are prioritizing the OnRamps Collaborative, a community impact project that will provide access to educational and vocational opportunities for survivors of trafficking.
For more information, email us at cjr@pointloma.edu or
Sign up for Our Mailing List2022 Annual Report2023 Impact Report
CJR in the News
The work of the CJR frequently appears in local and national news. Check out the links below to read more about our work:
2021
2020
4/20/20: Resilience: How the Pandemic Didn’t Shut Down Wear Justice
06/14/20: Rock Your City with Miles McPherson
06/23/20: San Diego COVID-19 Spike, Child Exploitation And Trafficking Reports Increase During Pandemic, Teachers Juggling School Reopening And ‘Da 5 Bloods’ Review
07/22/20: Giving in Times of Uncertainty
08/20/20: STOLEN: A Year-long Investigation Into Child Sex Trafficking & Exploitation
08/25/20: Evangelical leaders urge Trump admin. to stop summarily deporting unaccompanied migrant children
09/27/20: Commentary: In times of discord, how do we hit the reset button
10/24/20: Guest Editorial: Q'Anon threatens to unravel the work to end human trafficking
11/18/20: Spreading Roots of Giving
11/23/20: News Briefs for Ocean Beach and Point Loma During the Pandemic Holidays
2019
01/31/19: Slavery still exists - even in America: unpaid servitude and sex trafficking persist in the U.S. and beyond
02/17/19: Experts are skeptical that a Trump border wall would reduce human trafficking
04/06/19: Palomar College documentary takes troubling look at sex trafficking
04/11/19: The Wear Justice Festival Returns to PLNU
04/18/19: ABC 10 News: UCSD Group Releases Report suggesting Collaboration Between U.S., Mexico
04/29/19: From Survivor to Thriver: How Point Loma Nazarene University is helping survivors thrive
05/07/19: San Diego Union Tribune: RSF Foundation Featuring Expert Panel on Human Trafficking
06/27/19: Fighting San Diego's 'Phenomenally Lucrative' Underground Sex Trafficking Economy
06/29/19: Human Trafficking And The Southern Border
2018
Speaking About the Unspeakable
1/10/18: SD News: Human Trafficking Awareness Rally to Spotlight Local Problems
1/13/18: Times of San Diego: Campaign Launched to Warn Parents about Sex Trafficking
1/19/18: Fox News: March in Balboa Park Raises Awareness about Human Trafficking
2/3/18: Los Angeles Times: A Red Light on Human Trafficking
3/7/18: Educate for Life: The New Slavery - Michelle Shoemaker, Jessica, Dr. Jerry Andrews
3/12/18: ABC News: Point Loma Nazarene University Helping Victims of Sex Trafficking with Full-Ride Scholarships
4/12/18: Rancho Santa Fe Review: CCA Student Raising Awareness on Human Trafficking
4/18/18: Voice of San Diego: There's Virtually no such Thing as Voluntary Sex Work, says DA
4/18/18: San Diego Union Tribune: Think Human Trafficking Doesn't Happen in San Diego? Think Again.
4/22/18: San Diego Union Tribune: San Diego's Own Human Trafficking Stories on April 24th
4/24/18: Times of San Diego: Ending Human Trafficking is a San Diego Community Responsibility
5/3/18: San Diego Union Tribune: Forum Focuses on Human Trafficking's Toll, Ways to Help Victims
5/12/18: Voice of San Diego: Even Independent Sex Workers Rarely Enter the Industry Voluntarily
5/17/18: NBC News: Human Trafficking Experts from Across the US Gather in San Diego
5/17/18: Times of San Diego: District Attorney to Address Free Event on Human Trafficking Awareness
5/23/18: FOX News: Victims Speak Out Against San Diego's Sex Trafficking Problem
05/23/18: Voice of San Diego: The DA is Right about Sex Work
10/28/18: Taking Action: Santa Maria event to focus on education to prevent sexual exploitation of children
12/04/18: Migrant Families Within San Diego
12/07/18: Pt Loma Nazarene Faculty and Students Respond to Rapid Response Network Call to Aid Immigrants
12/19/18: The Inn Without Borders / La Posada Sin Fronteras
2017
1/7/17: San Diego Union-Tribune: Private eyes look for runaways, sex-trade victims to rescue
1/10/17: Times of San Diego: January Is Human Trafficking Awareness Month in San Diego
1/19/17: Times of San Diego: Sex-Trafficking Alert in City Hall: ‘Sole Sisters’ Shoe Display
1/24/17: San Diego City Beat: Local org a new H.O.P.E. for victims of human trafficking
2/4/17: San Diego Union-Tribune: Schools take on sex trafficking
2/9/17: Times of San Diego: Atkins Bill Would Enlist Hotel Employees in Reporting Human Trafficking
4/12/17: San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego assemblyman's bill targets sex trafficking as a criminal business
4/26/17: Rancho Santa Fe Review: Lynch Foundation fundraiser to help prevent child sex trafficking
5/5/17: ABC News: San Diego's Sex Trafficking Business Targeted by Task Force
6/1/17: KPBS News: Trafficking Victims find Lifeline at City Heights Agency, but Funding may Run Dry
7/31/17: Rancho Santa Fe Review: Lynch Foundation for Children Holds Fundraising Gala
9/20/17: Village News: Non-Profit Saved in America Rescues Runaways from Sex Trafficking
10/9/17: San Diego Union Tribune: Businesses, Officers and Nonprofits to Launch Human Trafficking Awareness Campaign
10/14/17: San Diego DA: kNOw More Human Trafficking Prevention and Curriculum
10/29/17: San Diego Union Tribune: Slow but Steady Progress being made Against Sex Trafficking in San Diego
11/2/17: San Diego Union Tribune: Special Court Seeks to Aid Teen Trafficking Victims with Support and Rehabilitation
12/28/17: San Diego Magazine: Saved in America Fights Sex Trafficking in San Diego
2016
1/11/16: The Coast News Group: Walking in Vista: An effort to red-light human trafficking
1/16/16: Lawyers Club of San Diego: Human Trafficking a San Diego problem, a Lawyers Club initiative
1/16/16: Refreshed Magazine – Cover Story: Fighting Trafficking: PLNU uses multi-faceted approach to combat sex trade
1/16/16: San Diego Union-Tribune: Awareness of human trafficking growing in San Diego
1/26/16: NBC San Diego: Sex Trafficking More Rampant in SD Than Feared- Study
1/27/16: Setting Things Right – Radio
1/28/16: Village News: Study shows human trafficking in San Diego County has between 8,830 and 11,773 victims per year
6/21/16: The Guardian: I survived human trafficking. That makes me the exception to the rule
10/6/16: Voice of San Diego: What San Diego Can Do to Combat Human Trafficking
11/2/16: NBC San Diego: Spotting a Victim
11/21/16: KPBS: Authorities Look To San Diego Hotels For Help In Fight Against Sex Trafficking
12/6/16: USD News Center: USD Event Raises Awareness of Human Trafficking
2015
10/26/15: San Diego Union-Tribune: No such thing as a child prostitute
10/26/15: NBC7: San Diego Sex Trafficking an $810M Underground Industry: Study
10/26/15: CBS 8 San Diego: Disturbing new look into sex trafficking in San Diego
10/26/15: Fox 5: High Schools have become recruiting grounds for pimps study says
10/26/15: San Diego Union-Tribune: Sex trafficking may trap up to 11700 SD girls
10/26/15: KUSI: Sex trafficking is the second largest underground economy in San Diego
10/26/15: AM 760 KFMB: Disturbing new look into sex trafficking in San Diego
10/27/15: Voice of San Diego: Morning Report 11,000 Girls Caught in Local Sex Trafficking
10/28/15: KPBS: Study show scope of sex trafficking in san diego county
10/31/15: San Diego Union-Tribune: How girls are lured into sex trafficking
11/1/15: KBLK Radio: Gangs, Sex Trafficking and Systemic Racism
11/5/15: Examiner: Sex trafficking study reveals millions for exploiters recruiting school girls.
Location and Hours
Contact Us
Center for Justice & Reconciliation
Laura Decker
Coordinator, Center for Justice and Reconciliation
ldecker1@pointloma.edu
(719) 373-0388