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If not us, then who? An invitation to action.

As I wander though Cincinnati’s National Underground Railroad Freedom Center gift shop, the noise of the everyday world slips away and the quiet of this splendid building soothes me. It is a place where there is plenty of space to think, to reflect a

People are People, Regardless of Culture

Dreaming of a land far away—a land of adventure, development, and much unknown. A land known by many as home to many exotic animals, fruits, and surprises. A land with colors, dark sun-kissed faces and bright smiles. A land with beautiful songs and v

Dispatches: On the Ground in Lithuania

Yesterday the End Slavery Now team met up with anti-trafficking activists in Kaunas, Lithuania. During our first day in the country, we learned about efforts here, the effects of the U.S. T.I.P. Report, state-run homes and impacts on three young wom

Slavery-Freedom Continuum

As I stated in a previous blog post, “slavery is a social phenomenon existing on the far end of a continuum of oppression.” The model below represents the continuum that I am referring to. Slavery is one extreme. Freedom is the other. There are mult

Songs for Freedom: Ending Child Slavery in Haiti

Songs for Freedom Have you ever had one of those moments that you just know you won’t forget? I had one of those a few months ago, watching Haitian youth singing for a new vision in Haiti - one without restavek - at Restavek Freedom Foundation’s So

A Slavery-Free Holiday Season

How can you ensure that your Black Friday and Holiday shopping is free of slave labor? Is there really any way to make sure every single thing you buy wasn’t made with slave labor? The unfortunate answer is no. In fact many companies don’t even know

Three Suggestions for Antislavery Organizing on Campus

One of the largest antislavery groups to emerge before the Civil War was one of the most unlikely. Located in the isolated northwest corner of Ohio, the Ashtabula County Female Anti-Slavery Society attracted over 500 members. Led by a rural schooltea

Today We Face a Different Battle

Luke Blocher Remarks at Ohio Human Trafficking Awareness Day January 9th, 2014 in Columbus, OH at the Ohio Statehouse The Freedom Center is a museum on the banks of the Ohio River in Cincinnati. We are located there, on the border between slave and

On Happy Endings

This is the story of Annam, born in a village outside Dhaka, Bangladesh. Forced into a child marriage at age 12. Trafficked to a Mumbai brothel at age 17. Rescued at age 22. Repatriated to Bangladesh at age 25. This story has a happy ending, but it i

Islam and the Fight Against Human Trafficking

If you are reading this in the United States, you are probably wary, if not critical, of the religion of Islam. Since 2001, the media has paraded horrific images of Isis fighters, Al-qaeda tapes, or Hezbollah revolutionaries across our TV screens. Bu