Wayne Jopanda is a 2020 Mellon Public Scholars Fellow who had the privilege of working in collaboration with a group of Filipino trafficked teachers and artivist scholar Angel Trazo in creating their collective social justice creative project “Illustrated Lesson Plans for Liberation: A Multimedia Project Documenting the Journey of Filipino Trafficked Teachers.”

The project is based on interviews with two Filipino teachers, Faye Capili and Noel Abalos, who trace their journey from labor trafficking victims to trafficking survivors to empowered anti-trafficking organizers and activists for Filipino migrant labor rights. The graphic novel style project, illustrated by the amazing Angel Trazo, offers an accessible and engaging tool for organizers like Capili and Abalos to educate and engage their students and communities regarding the realities of labor trafficking in the Philippines, the continued system of forced labor migration, and the long lasting effects of the Philippines’ Labor Export Policy.

Wayne would like to personally thank Faye, Noel, Angel, the amazing organizers of GABRIELA D.C., the Bulosan Center for Filipinx Studies, and his faculty mentor Dr. Robyn Rodriguez for their continued support, partnership, and community through the past 8 years.