Ashante Taylorcox (in orange sweatshirt) was joined by staff of her nonprofit, You Are More Than Inc., at the organization’s 2023 YAMT Walk With Us event. As a survivor of human trafficking, Taylorcox founded YAMT to advocate for other survivors in area communities
Ashante Taylorcox was presented the Russ Berrie Making a Difference Award last month for the work of her Marlton-based nonprofit, You Are More Than Inc. (YAMT).
The organization offers support for marginalized LGBTQ+ and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) survivors of exploitation and sex trafficking.
As a survivor of trafficking, the 33-year-old Taylorcox has been an advocate for survivor communities throughout the tri-state area through direct service work, curricula development and the training of mental-health providers in New Jersey and nationally. She earned her master’s in clinical counseling services at New York University while specializing in LGBTQ+ health, education and social services.
It was while studying mental health as a grad student in 2020 that Taylorcox founded YAMT.
“I saw a lot of my peers relapse back into the commercial sex industry and not have support for their experiences that went beyond crisis management,” she explained.
Her initial idea for YAMT came when she was an undergraduate student in 2015, and the five-year gap between degrees allowed her to develop all aspects of what she hoped the nonprofit would be.
“Initially, it was me, $500 and a dream,” she recalled. “But I had five years to visualize the nonprofit I wanted to start and how I wanted it to be different from the organizations that I had sought out for my own care as a human-trafficking survivor.”
YAMT is survivor led and equips trafficking survivors with helpful tools and skills to thrive within the mental- health, education and financial wellness sectors of after-care support. By providing individual and group counseling, grant funding for higher education and direct investments in survivor-led small businesses, the organization brings a survivor-centered, trauma-informed and holistic approach to after-care services in marginalized survivor communities.
“Less than 5% of nonprofits within the anti-trafficking sector are led by people with current or past experience in the sex trade,” Taylorcox emphasized. “Founded in 2020, You Are More Than exists as the only organization within the national anti-trafficking industry that is led by, and for, BIPOC and LGBTQ people.”
The annual Making a Difference Award was established in 1997 by the foundation of the late Berrie, a manufacturer of plush animals, toys and gifts who used his wealth to advance health care and support religious and cultural groups. It honors New Jersey residents whose community service and heroic acts have made a substantial impact on the lives of others.
To be eligible for the award, a candidate must be nominated by another person before Feb. 7. Taylorcox was thrilled to hear she would be this year’s recipient.
“It was exciting,” she remembered. “Where we’re at in this current political climate, it’s a little bit difficult to get funding for (the nonprofit’s) queer- and Black-led work. But to be supported from Making a Difference is really rejuvenating, and we can put that money back into the hundreds of survivors that we serve yearly.”
The ceremony was held on May 9 at Ramapo College in Mahwah. The 10 awardees, including Taylorcox, were presented Make a Difference Award grants totaling $152,500. Taylorcox got $25,000.
“(The recognition) just shows me that the work we’re doing is needed and valued,” she emphasized. “YAMT exists as the only Black-led, queer-led, and survivor-led nonprofit in the United States, serving survivors and sex workers nationally.
“It’s hard for people to see the need for post-crisis support services for survivors and sex workers, so for me to be able to get this award and show people that the need is here, and it matters.”
To donate or find more information on You Are More Than programs, visit www.yamt.org.
