Shining The Spotlight on Anti-Human Trafficking Activist Dr. Ellyn Jo Waller

As we continue to observe Women’s History Month, we are shining the spotlight on some women who perhaps are not as well-known as some others who get awards, accolades, and articles written about them all the time. There are also women who are well-known, for one thing, when in reality they are involved with many issues or projects that are meaningful and deserve to be talked about.
Such is the case with Dr. Ellyn Jo Waller, the wife of Reverend Dr. Alyn E. Waller, Senior Pastor of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia. Dr. Ellyn Jo Waller leads the Women’s Ministry at the church, and she is by her husband’s side as they do great work together on many issues and concerns in our city for the members of Enon, which are some 16,000 strong
Being the First Lady of a mega church is no easy task, but one that Dr. Ellyn Jo handles with grace, style, and dignity. Here is a part of her story, which she shared with me during an interview.
“It’s interesting how I ended up becoming a Special Education teacher. My mother had a cousin who was hit by an ice truck back in the 1950s. She was a typical 11- or 12-year-old, until that accident. She suffered a traumatic brain injury. Her name was Miriam. I recall as a kid that Miriam used to play with us. She would play dolls with us and the whole nine. It never dawned on me until I was close to my teen years, that Miriam wasn’t a child. She was an adult with special needs. That was a subconscious catalyst for me to want to help people who have learning difficulties and special needs. From then on, I knew I really wanted to be a special education teacher. Prior to college, I worked at a camp in New York City, (I’m originally a New Yorker), for children with special needs. The camp was part of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Through that experience, I further honed my desire to work with that population.”
Dr. Ellyn Jo Waller continued, “As a little kid, I always said I wanted to be a teacher or a nurse. I think that came from being a product of the 1960s. That’s what we saw women do and be. But I’m grateful that I ended up becoming a special education teacher. It was a huge part of my life.”
Some people mistakenly think that Dr. Ellyn Jo Waller is one of the pastors of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, but that is not the case, stated Dr. Waller. “I lead our women’s ministry, which includes our Anti-Human Trafficking Ministry and our Sisters In Christ Ministry. Every second and fourth Monday evening, I lead our Sisters in Christ Women’s Bible Study on Zoom. Along with my team, we develop annual Women’s Retreats. The She’s My Sister Anti-Human Trafficking Ministry hosts a conference and walk/run every year. This ministry is engaged in outreach, awareness, and advocacy around anti-human trafficking. Our Human Trafficking Awareness Walk/Run used to take place in October every year. We partner with the Greater Philadelphia Salvation Army’s New Day to Stop Trafficking program and seek to support the work they do. This year the walk/run will take place on Saturday, July 9th. The walk/run will start at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church on Coulter Street in Germantown and end at Enon’s Cheltenham Avenue location. We moved the course and date of the walk/run this year. The New Day transition home is moving so our “move” is a symbolic way to commemorate the move the Salvation Army is making.”
“The issue of Human Trafficking at Enon is really an outgrowth of some of the work I’ve been doing for the past 16 years in the fight against human trafficking. We host our awareness conference annually, primarily because we know that lots of people don’t know about or understand the issue. Some of that is because movies and media coverage sensationalize the issue. Many people only view human trafficking as people being snatched off the streets and forced into commercial sex work. But the truth is that while that does exist in some cases, it’s rare. I think human trafficking is able to fly under the radar because young women can be often trafficked by family members or people they believe are boyfriends. I’ve met young women whose mothers have traded them for drugs. I’ve talked with young men whose families have utilized them for their own purposes. There’s a lot more to trafficking than most people think. That’s why it can happen right under our noses at times. Often, when there is a “missing” young white girl, people will go above and beyond to “rescue” them because they are viewed as “victims.” When one of our daughters, our girls, girls of color, are “missing,” typically the concern is not as focused, they are not viewed as “victims” but “those fast Black girls.” Rarely are “missing” African American girls, viewed as being victimized.”
Dr. Ellyn Jo Waller stressed that human trafficking isn’t just about sex. “Labor trafficking is an issue as well. Our ministry seeks to help people to understand that we need to be thoughtful about the businesses we support and the places we go. We should be thoughtful about the nail salons and hair-braiding salons we go to. Some of those places have been found to be involved in human trafficking. I believe God’s church and faith communities should be thinking about how to be blessings to those we serve. I know many churches are doing lots of things to help the community, but the anti-human trafficking work is one of the things that little is known about. The fight to combat human trafficking has become a big part of what we do at Enon.”
To learn more about the She’s My Sister Human Trafficking Awareness 8K Walk/Run, on July 9, 2022, or other Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church events and programs, visit their website at www.enontab.org.
Human trafficking, also known as modern-day slavery, unfortunately, is alive and well in the United States. Every year, millions of people around the world, including in the U.S., are bought and sold for forced labor or sexual exploitation. It can happen to any demographic, any gender, any race, or nationality. If even one person becomes aware of important human trafficking facts perhaps that person will be able to identify warning signs when they see a person who may be being exploited. If that happens, then every awareness effort that anyone makes is worthwhile.
Human trafficking is the trade of humans for forced labor, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may include purchasing a spouse for forced marriage, the extraction of organs or tissues, including for surrogacy and ova removal. Human trafficking can occur within a country or trans-nationally. Human trafficking is a crime against the person because of the violation of the victim’s rights of movement through coercion and because of their commercial exploitation. Human trafficking is the trade in people, especially women and children, and does not necessarily involve the movement of the person from one place to another.
Dr. Ellyn Jo Waller is engaged in numerous civic and humanitarian efforts. She has devoted herself to education, women’s empowerment, and championing the fight against human trafficking, domestically and internationally. She has served as a Special Education teacher in Ohio, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. Locally, she taught Life Skills in the Southeast Delco (PA) School District and served as a Special Education Specialist for the Upper Merion (PA) School District. During her doctoral program in Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology in Education with a focus in Literacy Education, Dr. Waller taught in the College of Education at Temple University. She continues to advocate for students with special needs.
Her continued commitment to education is witnessed by her service as President of Community College of Philadelphia Foundation, Board Member of Waldron Mercy Academy, Board Member of Healthy NewsWorks, and a member of the United Negro College Fund Philadelphia Area Office Leadership Council.
Dr. Ellyn Jo’s commitment to the eradication of human trafficking is evidenced by her leadership of the She’s My Sister Anti-Human Trafficking Ministry of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church. Ellyn Jo is a member of the Philadelphia Chapter (PA) of The Links, Incorporated, and served as the organization’s National Human Trafficking Chair from 2015-2018.
Her commitment to the empowerment of women is enacted through her leadership of Enon Tabernacle’s women’s ministry, Sisters in Christ, and the “Under The Church Hat” blog which she started in January 2021. This blog shares monthly devotions for modern Christian women, written by Dr. Ellyn Jo. “Under The Church Hat” seeks to assist Christian women in their spiritual growth and development through entries and exercises designed to strengthen and empower them. She is a firm believer that God blesses people with influence and affluence not for themselves but for others. Dr. Ellyn Jo desires to please God and bless others in everything she does.
This week we shine the spotlight on Dr. Ellyn Jo Waller as we salute her for all her humanitarian and civic work, but most of all for her leadership around educating the masses about the horrific crime against humanity, human trafficking.