Be The Change: Jenny Barber

“The thing I love the most about Jenny is that she has a ‘true north,’” says Aaron Hayes. “Her true north is to serve people and when she feels called to do something, it doesn’t matter what’s on the other side, she will go do it.”

Jenny Barber and her husband, Robert, lived with Aaron and his family for a couple of months 16 years ago while Robert and Jenny prepared for their lifelong work of fighting against sex trafficking. Aaron has cheered the Barbers on as they have founded two strategic nonprofits: Talitha Coffee and Justice180. “Jenny is like a stick of dynamite; she’s fearless,” Aaron says. “When she gets onto something, good luck stopping her – she’s going to blow a hole through the wall to make it happen.”

Difficult childhoods compels fight against exploitation of others

Both Robert and Jenny escaped tumultuous childhoods and Jenny experienced exploitation from a young age. “Throughout my childhood, I would find moments of freedom,” Jenny says. “What that did to me was develop this really deep resilience and the strong desire to become an overcomer. I wanted to be somebody who brought hope and created pathways of hope for other people.”

Compelled to fight against modern-day slavery, Jenny and Robert moved their young family from Redding to Los Angeles in 2010. They immersed themselves in anti-trafficking training at local colleges, law enforcement and social service agencies, churches and nonprofits. They implemented their education immediately, teaching groups and leading them into the red light districts and strip clubs of Los Angles. They networked and collaborated, forging partnerships and uniting anti-trafficking organizations around common goals.

Unfortunately, amid all their efforts, the Barbers repeatedly witnessed a disheartening trend: “People we were working with were leaving ‘the life’ and going through recovery, then coming right back.” The failure to permanently escape sent a clear message of hopelessness to other survivors. It also seemed to confirm the chilling idea that victims’ psychological damage is irreversible. Jenny says sex trafficking survivors sustain post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on the same levels as those who have experienced hand-to-hand combat. She explains that since exploitation often starts young (on average between 11-15 years old in California), the wounds can reach a developmental, neurological level.

Supporting health and healing for survivors of exploitation

While the prevalent voices said victims will always live with a victim mentality, Jenny “knew that wasn’t true because I had found such freedom in my life and was able to build a healthy family and have resilience and emotional, mental and spiritual health.”

To help enable that healing for others, in 2015 Jenny and Robert founded Justice180, a nonprofit devoted to advocacy, rescue and restoration. That same year, Robert discovered a hidden talent for roasting coffee. In 2020, the couple opened a coffee shop in Los Angeles to employ survivors, thereby supporting lasting freedom. In the five years since then, Talitha Coffee has expanded to nine cafe spaces.

While expanding efforts in southern California, Jenny also found herself drawn back to the North State. “I’ve done some work with the FBI, Homeland Security and law enforcement,” Jenny says, “and I kept hearing there needed to be more services in the North State area.” In 2023, the Barbers returned to Redding, where they now facilitate national and international anti-trafficking efforts through Justice180, while particularly focusing on local collaboration to support survivors. Justice180 offers a wide range of resources, including clothing, life skills, pregnancy assistance, mental health resources, emergency housing and job training. “We meet them where they’re at,” Jenny says.

Transforming generational patterns of exploitation

While waging a war against sex trafficking is a fulltime job, Jenny also manages the full-time job of motherhood. She and Robert have six children between the ages of 4 and 15. Jenny views parenting as an opportunity to redirect the course of her family, breaking free from generations of exploitation. “My husband and I are teammates in everything we do – parenting, work and life,” she says.
“We’ve been really intentional about the community that we surround ourselves with, and we have a very supportive community.” When they get a chance, the Barbers enjoy taking their family off-roading into the beauty of the North State.

Ways you can join the fight against sex trafficking

Jenny believes all skills and interests have the potential to contribute to freedom. Justice180 has a strong volunteer base and they’re always looking for more hands on deck. From teaching culinary skills or offering parenting courses, to writing encouraging notes or knitting cozy scarves, Jenny welcomes you to join your passion to the fight against trafficking. For starters, consider visiting justice180.org and clicking “Get involved,” or ordering your morning caffeine from Talitha Coffee at talitha.com/justice180

Whether or not you are directly involved in combating trafficking, Jenny encourages adults to pour into children’s lives. “There’s a statistic that says 55% of kids are actually attending school while being exploited,” she says. “They’re in the public and they’re living the lives of children. For me, I had places in my life where there were people who didn’t know what was happening, but who called out my value.” These voices taught Jenny she had the choice to determine who she was, regardless of what was happening to her. “They really shaped the way I showed up to life.”

Whatever your day holds, take a moment to call out the value in a child. You never know who might be the next Jenny Barber!