Over-Enthusiastic College-Student hippie activist

Dear Blog,

When I was younger, I would watch TV or hear people talking about those crazy activists - usually college students who dressed like hippies and probably smoked pot - and think of how ridiculous and over-enthusiastic they were.

The fact is, I was wrong.  I may even be one of them now.

I am well aware of how easily I could not live in this country with all this money and opportunity.  I am well aware that I could easily be living in poverty and disease.  I am well aware of how blessed my life is - and how those whose lives are not, did not choose to be born into poverty or disease.

I'm part of a club at school called Not For Sale, a modern-day abolitionist group.  I was wandering through all the club's stalls at the beginning of the year, and the sheet of paper I was handed at this particular club's table was too much to ignore.

It told me that:

- Human trafficking is defined as the recruitment and transportation of persons within or across boundaries by force, fraud, or deception for the purpose of exploiting them economically.

- Today there are 27 million people enslaved, more than at the peak of the TransAtlantic Slave Trade.

- Human trafficking is the third largest and fastest growing illegal trafficking activity in the world; a $32-billion a year enterprise.

- The average price of a slave is $90.

- 80% of victims are women.  50% of victims are children.

- Every minute, two more children are forced into slavery.

- One million children are forced to work in the sex industry every day.

- An estimated 200,000 people (potentially more) are enslaved in the US today, and every year the slave population of the US grows 17,000 more.

These facts don't sound outrageously fake.  They weren't written to be sensational; they were just plain and obvious, and held their own power.  I couldn't ignore the information I had been given.

Later in the semester, when we were going around the dorms collecting change for a fundraiser, I was surprised at the number of people who asked us if we were for real, who thought that slavery was done with Abraham Lincoln and his emancipation proclamation, and who were genuinely shocked not only to hear that there were so many slaves in the world today - but so many in the US too!

So, I've bought a book and bookmarked a website that rate companies on how socially responsible they are; that way, I can be a conscientious consumer.  It's the law of supply and demand; if a company begins losing profit because of their practices, then if they want to survive they'll have to change those practices.  I doubt my single-person purchases will make such a difference, but I refuse to support those companies, and I will continue to tell others about them.

Like I said, I'm well aware that person enslaved could have been me.  I'm also well aware that, since it could have been me, and since I have so much opportunity and possibility to earn money,  I have an obligation to these people who don't have those opportunities, to do what I can for them. 

If any of these facts had you sad or shocked, check out the websites listed below:

www.notforsalecampaign.org  - Lots of information on what is going on, and what you can do to help. There is also a book, Not for Sale, written by David Batstone.
www.slaverymap.org - A map of the US, showing locations where slavery has been reported.  You can zoom in and click on the flags to see descriptions of the incidents.
Free2Work.org - a website that rates companies - giving them grades from A to F - regarding slave labor.
Also check out The Better World Shopping Guide, a book that fits in your purse or pocket and rates products you might see in a supermarket or clothing store on their social and environmental responsibility.