Today we’d like to introduce you to Yovanna Momplaisir.
Yovanna Momplaisir built her empire from what some might consider being 15 minutes of fame. She began her career being cast alongside chart-topping artist Diamond (Crime Mob) in Trillville’s 2002 “Some Cut’ video where she shared the spotlight with Porsha Williams (Real Housewives of Atlanta). In 2005 Yovanna made a name for herself as the lead video model in Billboard Hot 100 song “Let me Hold You” by Bow Wow ft Omarion.
Being a video girl was just a stepping stone to get her through the door. Some may recognize her from TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress” and WeTv’s “Bridezilla” where the firey personality married her husband Rick Momplaisir in 2013. Yovanna is best known for her appearances on Bravo’s hit television series The Real Housewives of Atlanta, seasons 11 & 12.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The San Francisco, CA native, born second of four girls to African American father Harold Logan retired (USMC) and Costa Rican mother, Gilcenia Carmela Logan. Being a middle child, Yovanna’s fight to be heard and seen began at birth. The daddy’s girl excelled in scholastics, upon moving to Atlanta, the stage was set. After applying and being accepted at the historic Clark Atlanta University, the “social butterfly” made a name for her self. Yovanna was that “It Girl” brains and beauty made her the talk of the campus and notorious on the Atlanta college social scene.
Please tell us about Stop The Traffik Global.
Yovanna has so much she plans to offer the world, being a business owner and philanthropist. She wanted to ensure her entertainment platform was used in a way to bring advocacy and awareness to something bigger than herself. So she founded “Stop The Traffik Global.” Stop the Traffik global was created in order to bring education and awareness to the human sex trafficking epidemic in Atlanta, in this country & globally.
Human trafficking is a $150 billion dollar industry. Sex trafficking is the most common form of slavery implemented today. Every day, more people are abducted and forced to become sex slaves. The city of Atlanta is a major supplier of these slaves to interested parties.
Human traffickers are criminals who exploit other human beings in order to make money. Profit is the human trafficker’s single goal for exploiting other humans.
Human Traffickers act as different ‘links’ in the trafficking chain. Their actions may include one or more of the following,
Recruitment, transportation, harboring, or receiving of trafficked person.
The recruiter Is one of the “main links” in the human sex trafficking chain, that people don’t recognize and if they aren’t looking for a recruiters actions they could be easily missed & that person could become a victim.
Recruiters lure victims by using charm, lies and deception. They promise them a better life and opportunities to make money. These promises are false. Victims of human trafficking place their trust in the traffickers & soon discover that those promises of a better life or making good wages were just lies.
Recruiters target victims who are vulnerable. They use charm, promise of money, attention, affection, romance, and a place to feel included.
Recruiters are both men and women. Young & old. A recruiter has no specific age, color or gender.
Recruiters start as early as 13 years old. When recruiting a victim, a woman trafficker may seem more trustworthy than a male. Especially when it involves recruiting young women or children for forced sexual exploitation.
Stop the Traffik’s mission statement is to educate victims to be S.A.V.E.D. See something , Alert, Visual Details , Escape Possibilities ,Don’t Ignore.
At this time, she is most proud of being honored at the Georgia State Capital by the United Nations & receiving a global award for her advocacy through Stop the Traffik Global.
The grind that she has is unmatched, she never settles and refuses to be average by any means. Most people do enough just to get by, which equals average results but Yovanna believes that to be the best, it takes investing blood, sweat and tears. Being comfortable is a dangerous space to be in, that’s why she chooses to place herself in uncomfortable situations. Yovanna believes when you’re uncomfortable, you’re growing and when you’re growing the sky is the limit.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Yovanna, would not change anything if she had to start over. She believes that in life, everything happens for a reason and mistakes are meant to be made along the way so that lessons can be learned. If it’s not a lesson, then it’s a blessing! So she appreciates everything that she has been faced with the good, the bad and the ugly!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/stopthetraffikglobal
- Other: www.instagram.com/yovannamomplaisir
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