Galvanized

The idea of human trafficking is overwhelming.  It's so overwhelming that it seems that one can't think what what can be done.

But there are things we can do, including educating ourselves about the signs to look for at your favorite nail salon, restaurant, or other local businesses, as well as when you're traveling.  Look for the following things in a person or person who you suspect may have been trafficked or enslaved:

• Behavior
• Appearance
• Economics

Behavior

When you're out, watch for behavior and instances by the workers in your local businesses that seem odd.  For instance, if you see that a restaurant worker isn't allowed to keep his or her tips, that is a huge red flag that worker is being exploited.

"I had a favorite sushi restaurant that I went to all the time.  I got to know the workers and the manager," Ken said.  "For one of the events my company had, I asked to restaurant to cater it.  During the event, we learned that day happened to be a worker's birthday.  So we thought it would be nice to collect tips for her as a gift.  We collected about $500, gave it to her and said, 'Happy Birthday!'   Well, she said she couldn't take the tips and started crying.  Wow!  Who turns down money?  Surely, that was a sign that something wasn't right."

If a service worker looks frightened, doesn't make eye contact or gets afraid to make even the smallest mistake, or has the body language of a person who is strangely or inappropriately frightened, it's likely that he is she is frightened.

Appearance

If a person looks disheveled, dirty, extremely unkempt or even drugged, the person may be a victim of trafficking or enslavement.  For instance, a flight attendant on Alaska Airlines, Sheila Fedrick, who saw an extremely dirty and unkempt looking teenage girl sitting next to a well-dressed man on a flight from Seattle to San Francisco.  She assisted the young lady in communicating with her and upon the flight landing in San Francisco, the man was arrested and the teenager rescued.

Economics

This one is a little tougher to address, because it requires research, and the willingness to either boycott products and companies or spend a little more money to get Fair Trade products.  For instance, I've recently learned that cacao (cocoa) beans, which is the basis of one of my favorite treats, chocolate, is mainly grown in the Ivory Coast.

Ken said, "When we buy items, we don't really think about the production cycle to get shirts, chocolate, soap or other items from the raw materials to the product that can be found on the shelves of your favorite shop or store.  You didn't know about, or think about, the 6-year-old boy who is working on a cocoa bean plantation in the Ivory Cost for long hours with no pay.  Now that you know, you have to make the decision to go the extra mile and maybe spend 50-75 more cents and get a Fair Trade chocolate treat."

No man can put a chain about the ankle of his fellow man with at last finding the other end fastened about his own neck.

Frederick Douglass

We can all be abolitionists and educators, even our children.  To that end, the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives is launching the One Million Youth Initiative.  The purpose of this initiative is to honor Frederick Douglass with the bicentennial edition of his most famous book, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave.  FDFI will give away one million copies of hardcover books to young people all over the country which will lead up to the 2018 bicentennial.

FDFI has already committed to printing 5,000 books printed and funds are being raised to print the next 5,000 copies until the one million print goal is reached and copies are put into the hands of young people in schools, detention centers and clubs all over the country.  We invite government agencies, corporations, nonprofits, faith institutions, and individuals to partner in projects that are aimed at uplifting and unifying communities across the country.

As Ken says, "At the end of the project, we're asking the young people who are receiving copies of the bicentennial print of Narrative to partner with classmates and teachers in service projects that address urgent social issues in their communities, such as human trafficking.  The goal is to create One Million Abolitionists in communities across the country."

Some organizations they can partner with include:

• National Basketball Retired Players Association
• Great Books Foundation
• National Youth Leadership Council
• City Hearts
• Kids Say yest to the Arts
• National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives

So, in a way, we are all abolitionists, just like Frederick Douglass.  And we all can educate and inform, just like Booker T. Washington.  We all can be leaders in our own way and in our own right.  Being a leader is about "not letting ego get in the way of what you're doing.  Surround yourself with good, knowledgeable people who can give you advice and talk straight to you."

In other words, get with folks who know what they are doing and let them do it.