About Us

MISSSEY is a space to heal and know your power. 

Root Cause

We live in a world where people in power routinely harm Black girls through policies and practices rooted in the intersecting systems of racism, capitalism and patriarchy. In our educational systems, for example, school administrators frequently target Black girls for more punitive discipline, the result of which sets Black girls on a path of poor outcomes in education, limited job opportunities, and exposure to violence.  Because they are criminalized in popular culture and by law enforcement, Black girls experience higher rates of incarceration than other girls do. And because Black girls’ bodies have been sexualized throughout this nation’s history, Black girls in particular are singled out by predators for sexual exploitation and violence.

MISSSEY is a space to heal and know your power. 

Root Cause

We live in a world where people in power routinely harm Black girls through policies and practices rooted in the intersecting systems of racism, capitalism and patriarchy. In our educational systems, for example, school administrators frequently target Black girls for more punitive discipline, the result of which sets Black girls on a path of poor outcomes in education, limited job opportunities, and exposure to violence.  Because they are criminalized in popular culture and by law enforcement, Black girls experience higher rates of incarceration than other girls do. And because Black girls’ bodies have been sexualized throughout this nation’s history, Black girls in particular are singled out by predators for sexual exploitation and violence.

Mission

MISSSEY works to prevent girls and gender-expansive youth from ever entering circumstances of sexual exploitation and violence. We also support young people who are experiencing exploitation to exit. Once they’ve exited, we partner with youth so that they may avoid re-entering sexually exploitative circumstances and live free of harmful transactional relationships.

Vision

At MISSSEY, we are determined to create a different world for Black girls and Black gender-expansive youth, one in which they can lead liberated, self-determined, and joyful lives, free from sexual exploitation and violence. We see a world that values rather than commodifies them, that nurtures and honors their ability to build and to sustain thriving communities -- for themselves and for their families. Because we see this world for Black girls, our vision necessarily expands outward to include Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian girls and gender-expansive youth, who are also harmed by intersecting systems of domination, and who also deserve to be liberated, honored, and nurtured.

Values

Healing

To empower the young people we serve and sustain ourselves, we center healing in everything we do.

Youth Voice

We make sure the youth we serve have a say in all levels of our organization. We see youth voice as a critical element of building power and self worth and work so that the youth we serve are able to advocate for themselves and know their power.

Integrity

As responsible members of our community, we do what we say we’re going to do. We are trustworthy and reliable; being accountable to the young people we serve, each other and ourselves is how we demonstrate our love. 

Relationships

Exploitation relies on isolation. The antidote is healthy, strong, empowering relationships. For girls and gender-expansive youth who are susceptible to sexual exploitation, caring, responsible relationships are their lifeline. For those of us serving them, building strong, long-term partnerships and community is how we will uproot sexual exploitation once and for all.

Values

Healing

To empower the young people we serve and sustain ourselves, we center healing in everything we do.

Youth Voice

We make sure the youth we serve have a say in all levels of our organization. We see youth voice as a critical element of building power and self worth and work so that the youth we serve are able to advocate for themselves and know their power.

Integrity

As responsible members of our community, we do what we say we’re going to do. We are trustworthy and reliable; being accountable to the young people we serve, each other and ourselves is how we demonstrate our love. 

Relationships

Exploitation relies on isolation. The antidote is healthy, strong, empowering relationships. For girls and gender-expansive youth who are susceptible to sexual exploitation, caring, responsible relationships are their lifeline. For those of us serving them, building strong, long-term partnerships and community is how we will uproot sexual exploitation once and for all.

History

For more than a decade, MISSSEY has been devoted to young people and served as a safe space where youth impacted by commercial sexual exploitation are accepted and embraced through their healing journey. Click through to learn more about our history.
2005
Alameda County launched the Sexually Exploited Minors Network (SEM)
  • The county-wide Sexually Exploited Minors (SEM) Network was formed, committed to establishing a continuum of CSEC specific services and system responses focused on addressing the complex needs of children and teens victimized through sexual exploitation.
  • SEM Network member organization George P. Scotlan Youth & Family Center began to develop services specifically for sexually exploited girls. Working in the heart of West Oakland, Scotland Center staff Nola Brantley, Adela Hernandez Rodarte, Sarai T. Smith-Mazariegos, and Emily Hamman experienced firsthand the devastating impact of the local sex trafficking trade on the girls who passed through Scotlan’s doors, witnessing with heartbreaking consistency the dangerous circumstances and dire crises faced by many of the girls.
  • Determined to address the needs and plight of CSEC, these four pioneers applied for and were awarded a grant through the San Francisco Foundation to pilot the very first Sexually Exploited Minor program in Alameda County.
2006
The first CSEC engagement, advocacy, and community-based service model in the county created – the precursor to MISSSEY
  • Scotlan Center partnered with the Interagency Children’s Policy Council and other SEM Network members to apply for the first round of City of Oakland Measure Y violence prevention funding in order to establish outreach, advocacy, and case management services for CSEC.
  • With funding in place, Nola, Adela, Sarai, and Emily worked tirelessly to create the first CSEC engagement, advocacy, and community-based service model in the county, in partnership with the Oakland Police Department, Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, Alameda County Probation Department, and Alameda County Social Services Agency.
  • MISSSEY was a division of Be A Mentor until 501(c)(3) status was awarded in December 2006.
2007
MISSSEY officially launches

Nola, Adela, Sarai and Emily launched MISSSEY — the first survivor-led, survivor-informed nonprofit organization in Oakland devoted to “motivating, inspiring, supporting and serving sexually exploited youth.”  The co-founders divided organizational responsibilities amongst themselves.

2009
Nola Brantley becomes MISSSEY’s first executive director

MISSSEY informs and inspires a new generation of advocates, service providers and policy makers in the developing field of addressing the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). Between 2010 and 2014 alone, MISSSEY served about 1,000 girls.

2010-2014
MISSSEY becomes a nationally recognized leader in the CSEC field and movement
  • Approximately 10,000 professionals in law enforcement, employees of the judicial system, social services personnel, and educators have been trained to identify and help CSEC since MISSSEY’s inception as the county’s premiere anti-trafficking organization.
  • MISSSEY begins providing technical assistance to counties, communities, and individual agencies in setting up CSEC-focused programs, integrating CSEC victim support into existing services, creating CSEC task forces, and bringing first responders up to speed.
2018
2020
MISSSEY co-leads GBV campaign

MISSSEY co-leads GBV Campaign with Young Women’s Freedom Center, Family Violence Law Center, DreamCatchers, and Alliance for Girls to secure increased funding for gender-based violence survivors, prevention, and response services in Oakland.

Today
Today

MISSSEY continues to be devoted to young people, a safe space where youth impacted by commercial sexual exploitation are accepted and embraced; where their victim status is acknowledged, but does not define them; where they are understood and never judged; where they are supported in both their healing and in the development of their aspirational selves; where the past may inform, but does not determine their future; where cycles of abuse are broken and where life-affirming experiences are holistically nurtured as stepping stones towards establishing fully enriched and empowered lives.