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You Can’t Get AIDS From A Hug: Why We Honor World AIDS Day

One of my earliest memories is walking through the hallways of my elementary school seeing posters with sayings like “you can’t get AIDS from a hug and a kiss.” This would have been around the time President Ronald Reagan finally started mentionin

Modern Day Enslavement and the Spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The movement for a national day honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. began shortly after his assassination in 1968. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983. It was first observed three years later.  In 1994 former Pennsylvania US

Thanks for Everything You Do!

Thank you for your support! As Gary Haugen, CEO of the International Justice Mission says, “Nothing happens just because we are aware of modern-day slavery, but nothing will ever happen until we are.” These words are all too true. We cannot solve a p

Words (Still) Matter: There is (Still) No Such Thing as a "Child Prostitute"

Content Warning: This blog post discusses an ongoing investigation into child trafficking. It also explores issues such as trauma, power differentials, and victimization.   "Human Trafficking" vs. "Modern-Day Slavery." "Slavery" vs. "Enslavement." "V

Arming Women in the Quest to Prevent Trafficking

A Case Study on Sex Trafficking Prevention: Part 1 Sex trafficking. Thanks to the good work of sedulous activists for a decade, most of us are aware of the depth of this horrific issue. It is the epitome of injustice in which powerful predators prey

400 Years of Slavery and the Lash of the Whip Can Still be Felt

Since human trafficking involves taking away someone's freedom in order to allow someone else to economically benefit, it is modern-day slavery. The first recorded group of slaves arrived in the U.S. in 1619. This year, 2019, marks 400 years of slav

The 30th Anniversary of the Mauritanian Genocide

On November 28, 1990 28 men in Inal, Mauritania were hanged by their fellow soldiers. They were accused of plotting a coup against the government of this northwest African country. There was no trial. November 28 also happens to be the day Mauritania

"A Seat at the Table"

Human trafficking is the human rights issue of our lifetime and is currently happening in our communities. Celia Williamson grew up with three friends that were trafficked and became an internationally known advocate in the fight against human traffi

More Harm Than Good: Online Rumors and the Fight Against Modern-Day Enslavement

Facts, Fears, and Falsehoods During the self-quarantining that began in March of 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many myths and falsehoods related to human trafficking began making the rounds through social media. Many of these rumors were

Ending the Third Slavery

We often forget that slavery has its own history, with a storyline as old as recorded time. In the United States we mark its origins with the importation of the first “twenty and odd Negroes” into Point Comfort, near present day Hampton, Virginia. Th