Posts Tagged ‘Free the Slaves’

11 Jan

Human Trafficking Awareness Day–January 11

Posted by Andrew Mersmann in Inspiration. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

Some of the annual”X, Y, and Z DAY” proclamations are fun…National Ice Cream Day…International Jumprope Day…American Chocolate Week. But today sucks. It is a travesty that a day like today needs to be proclaimed…Human Trafficking Awareness Day. There are millions in our world that are held in forced labor situations, sold or coerced into the sex trade, restavek children (institutional slavery in Haiti), and more. Freedom of choice has been removed from the equation for so many.

While it seems like it is, this is not an issue that happens “over there” or “way back when” but is happening, right now, all around us. It is far more comfortable to think slavery is an issue dealt with by ancestors or other cultures, but it an issue in our midst. The United States is a HUGE purveyor of slaves in each of the industries where they are kept working against their will (sex, farmworkers/agriculture, fashion/apparel, domestic work, industry, etc). The very least we can do is educate ourselves, and be proactive. Find out more at events and online educational outreach today (or tomorrow or next week or any time, as long as it’s soon). Start here (change.org) and here (Free the Slaves), and then keep on digging. Your voice and action truly count and can make a difference.

15 Sep

Jason Mraz in Ghana with Free the Slaves

Posted by Andrew Mersmann in Inspiration, Support. Tagged: , , , , , .

Damn, I love Jason Mraz. If I was doing an employee review, he would get “Exceeds Expectation” on every front. His music is brilliant, and his humanitarianism and philanthropy are huge. Here is a short video about his time in Ghana with Free the Slaves, learning, as we all must, that slavery is a very real, very contemporary issue that must be addressed today. It is easy to convince ourselves that the plight of slaves is a yesterday matter, but being in Haiti where there are currently thousands of child slaves, seeing Jason’s film from Ghana and the child slaves there, and knowing the many other nations where slavery exists right now, I hope you’ll join me in looking for ways to be a vocal activist and end slavery in our lifetime.

15 Jun

Free the Slaves

Posted by Andrew Mersmann in Opportunities, Support. Tagged: , , , , , .

Ninety Bucks

That’s the average cost of a human life in today’s slave market. TODAY’s slave market. People tend to think that since slavery is illegal in every country in the world, that illegality must have made it go away. In fact, there are 27 million slaves RIGHT NOW, and on average, every 36 minutes, a slave is trafficked into the United States.

I’m at a loss as to how to reconcile my life with a world where slavery still exists. My world view didn’t include this except in past tense–as a history lesson. And I’m not OK with it.

Join me in getting involved to stop slavery. FreetheSlaves.net will help you educate yourself and those around you, and open your eyes to ways to step up and take a stand. Singer Jason Mraz just spent 5 days in Ghana to find out more.

Mraz spent his time in the country traveling rescue shelters for slaves – as well as Challenging Heights, a school in Winneba founded by a former child slave, where many students are former slaves.

According to Free the Slaves: “We don’t waste time debating which kind of slavery is worse — brick kilns or carpet looms, sex or domestic, new or old — it’s all horrible. Slavery is a dark slash across the heart of all humanity. We believe there are no easy answers to eradicating slavery. But there are answers from the people who are enslaved and those helping them to freedom. There is no single path to liberation – the paths are many – we will tread them all before our job is done.”

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