Sapp Bros. Employee Receives 2021 Harriet Tubman Award

Sapp Bros. Travel Center Cashier Jessica Chapman from Junction City, Kansas has been named the 2021 Harriet Tubman Award winner by Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) for helping a woman who had been sexually exploited.

Chapman received the award July 29 at the original Sapp Bros. travel center in Omaha, Nebraska as part of Sapp Bros. 50th Anniversary celebration.

Earlier this year, Chapman noticed a woman who seemed distressed. She also noticed a man near her. She caught the woman’s eye and asked her if she was alright. The woman approached Chapman and acknowledged that she wasn’t okay. Because the man was in the store, and so as not to arouse suspicion, Chapman took down a rewards application and acted like she was helping the woman fill it out, all the while gathering information about the situation in order to call law enforcement. Her quick and very intelligent response led to the arrest of the man, and allowed the woman, who had been sexually exploited, to get to a safe place.

“Jessica’s alert and immediate actions on behalf of the victim of sexual exploitation are indicative of what this award is all about,” enthused Kendis Paris, TAT executive director. “Her TAT training, combined with empathy and courage, are exactly what that woman needed that night. We are humbled and grateful to present Jessica with our 2021 Harriet Tubman Award.” 

“We’re extremely grateful to Jessica for her quick thinking and the utilization of the training she received with Sapp Bros.’ Help Now campaign, which was created as a result of our partnership with TAT,” said Andrea Galvin, Sapp Bros’ Marketing. “We’re proud to support TAT and their mission to combat human trafficking. We train our employees at Sapp Bros. using TAT’s methods to recognize and react appropriately when they identify situations that could be human-trafficking related.”

She continued, “We hear of stories like the one Jessica experienced, and you think it doesn’t happen in your locations, but it does. It’s right in front of us. We’re committed to continuing to educate and empower more employees at Sapp Bros. and the drivers that visit our locations. We were excited to have TAT and Protective Insurance join us in celebrating our 50th Anniversary and the awarding of the Harriet Tubman Award. “ 

The Harriet Tubman Award presented by Protective Insurance, which carries with it a $2500 check, is named in honor of famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman, whose courageous personal actions resulted in the transportation of 300 slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad and whose overall role in the freedom movement was instrumental in the freeing of thousands more. Born into slavery in 1820, Miss Tubman was the first African American woman buried with full military honors and the first to have the inaugural Liberty ship named after her – the SS Harriet Tubman – by the US Maritime Commission. The award was created to honor a member of the trucking industry each year, whose direct actions help save or improve the lives of those exploited or prevent human trafficking from taking place.

“Our motto at Protective Insurance is ‘Safer Roads, Safer People,’ and, as such, we align ourselves with like-minded partners like Truckers Against Trafficking,” explained Jeffrey Silvey Sr., vice president of Sales for Protective Insurance. “We’ve been a proud sponsor of the Harriet Tubman Award since 2018, and it was our privilege to present the award to Jessica this year.”

“The training from Sapp Bros. about human trafficking helped me recognize something was wrong, and then my instincts took over,” commented Chapman. “I was just really glad I could help. I’m very appreciative to win the 2021 Harriet Tubman Award.”

Truckers Against Trafficking

Truckers Against Trafficking is a 501c3 organization whose mission is to educate, equip, empower and mobilize members of the trucking, bus and energy industries to fight human trafficking as part of their everyday jobs. For more information, visit www.truckersagainsttrafficking.org.