Advocacy

Q&A with Slavery No More Founder, Jocelyn White

Carrie Nye — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:32:10 -0800

Jocelyn White is Co-Founder and CEO of Slavery No More. Taken from the Slavery No More website, the mission of Slavery No More is to resource a diversity of the most effective organizations working to combat and abolish modern-day slavery and human trafficking, and to create awareness and a diversity of opportunities for meaningful personal engagement.

Recently I had the priviledge of asking Jocelyn a few questions about Slavery No More and how they are working to abolish modern day slavery.

How did you become aware of modern day slavery and human trafficking? I first became deeply aware and moved to action when watching a Leadership Summit DVD that featured Gary Haugen, President of International Justice Mission. As he showed photos of their clients, I began to see my own nieces and nephews, cousins, friends, and it became personal.

How did Slavery No More come about? Slavery No More was something my husband, and Co-Founder, had felt led to do many years ago, but we hesitated because we felt there were so many under resourced anti-trafficking agencies, but after years of operating as a Community Based Organization, it was time to formalize it into a non-profit that existed to support the great work that was already being done.

Slavery No More has a desire to be a bridge builder. To bridge law enforcement with non-profits, and people who are doing something to directly rescue and restore victims of human trafficking and slavery to those who have a desire to combat this problem. We truly believe that “awareness becomes compassion when it takes action.” We want to mobilize people from awareness to action, thus showing compassion.

What dreams and hopes do you have for Slavery No More? Our deepest desire is to see modern day slavery abolished- completely abolished on this earth. It would no longer be an organized crime where oppressors take advantage of the weak. We know this doesn’t happen overnight, but we do believe that if enough people do something, even if it’s just one thing, we can collectively see slavery abolished in the 21^st century. According to a report by UNICEF in 2001, 27 million people are enslaved today. That’s more than any time in history. We would love to see 27 million people offer their voices, talents, and influence to seeing them freed.

I often hear people express feelings of being overwhelmed by the realty of modern day slavery and as a result they are unclear on how they can help. What action steps do you recommend for those just learning about the enormity of the issue? A house doesn’t move from not existing, to being a house. Foundations are laid, one brick at a time is strategically and properly placed, and each portion of a house can be divided up into parts. That’s what can be done with combating human trafficking. As one educates themselves, they can align their skills and areas of influence to the part of the issue they are passionate about. Slavery No More helps mobilize people into meaningful engagement.

What projects is Slavery No More currently working on that anyone can participate in? On January 26, we are assembling our first 200 Freedom Bags. These first Freedom Bags will be given to 200 victims of human trafficking as they enter an aftercare facility in Southern California. We hope to see the Freedom Bags go all across the nation. One can visit our site about the Freedom Bag Campaign.

February 18, we have a Justice Matters Conference hosted by Calvary Chapel Murrieta. Registration is currently open our site.

May 5 we are co-chairing a benefit dinner for International Justice Mission at the Millennium Biltmore Los Angeles. IJM, in our opinion, is one of the leaders in fighting trafficking.

One can sign-up for our event and volunteer notifications on our website, as well as get daily updates on Facebook and Twitter- join the discussion.

IJM founder and president Gary Haugen once said, "The victims of injustice in our world do not need our spasm of passion; they need our long obedience in the same direction. They need our legs and lungs of endurance." How do you maintain your long obedience and endurance of your legs and lungs in the fight against slavery? I often think of Alex, a commercially sexually exploited minor I had the privilege of knowing and spending time with. She was trafficked here in the United States, and she was only 16 years old when I started working with her. Her story is sad, yet tragically typical, but her triumph is nothing short of miraculous. Her family wasn’t looking out for her, the people who are supposed to love and protect her. She was groomed by a pimp who promised to meet her needs. She was quickly forced into prostitution and had no way out…but someone took the time to know her story and decided to help her.

What if no one was looking for her, listening for her cry, what would have happened to her? There are an estimated 300,000 children trafficked within the US, many of whom have no one looking for them- that’s what motivates us- finding them. I honestly feel haunted imagining their cries late at night when I’m going to bed. Witnessing their rescue and restoration increases my faith. God is asking us to take back all of what has been taken from the innocent of the world by evil, and giving them back all the riches that God has born them to have.

God has a heart for the weak, the oppressed, and the forgotten. When we take it upon ourselves to respond to God’s invitation to participate in their rescue and restoration is when you truly see His power, mercy, and His people at work. Sometimes our willingness to go into pain and search in the darkness is when healing and light shine the most.

In what ways can we help prevent human trafficking today? Get Informed- Learn all you can about the issue. There are a lot of great resources on our website Store written by professionals in the field. Learn about the non-profits that are doing something to end human trafficking, and then take that first step- get involved in one of their campaigns and initiatives, or start attending and supporting their events.

Become an Abolitionist- Talk about it. Tell your family and friends what you are learning and why you want to see it put to an end. Some feel that bringing about awareness is nothing, but a supervisor for the LAPD increased my conviction that awareness IS prevention and awareness IS rescue. Often times the victims are too traumatized to testify, but if there is a witness, someone in the public that saw something and said something, that could be the one witness that could move a case forward. Also, an educated juror means everything to the victim because they understand the type of trauma and manipulation they have been under, and truly see them as a victim.

Are you part of the problem? Many don’t realize that they may perpetuate the problem. The sexualization of our culture has made many people numb to the fact that women are abused every single day. Pornography is a highway to human trafficking. Photos and videos aren’t just created out of thin air, people, who are often children, are tortured and abused to create them. Do you know the age of the one you are looking at? Do you truly know the age of the one you are purchasing a sexual favor from? Are you a responsible consumer? Seeking to purchase Fair Trade items as a regular practice?

Support Freedom- Finances is what allows programs to exist. Investing in the rescue and restoration of victims of human trafficking and slavery is the best investment you can make. Also, become a responsible consumer. Visit our Products That Free page on our website to proactively shop fair trade*, which ensures what you consume is not created by slaves, thus decreasing the demand and providing economic stability and dignity for the workers on the other end.

The national human trafficking hotline is 888-3737-888. If you see something, say something- a slave’s life may depend on it.

*Video by Trade as One featured on Products that free webpage.

Praying for Cities (or Why Everyone Should be a Saints Fan This Year)

bo.white — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:26:03 -0800

A few months after Hurricane Katrina, I was walking the streets of New Orleans with friends who were committed to helping in the rebuilding effort. We drove past the Superdome, walked in empty neighborhoods racked with garbage, debris, and broken down homes, previously flooded by activity and people. Hundreds of thousands of people left the city in search of something new.

The prophet Jeremiah, instructs us in both his self-titled book as well as his book of Lamentations that we should care for the city. He puts it clearly in two distinctly related phrases: “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare,” (Jeremiah 29:7). Later in Lamentations 1, we read these words: “How lonely sits the city that was full of people.” And so images of New Orleans come to mind, both in its beauty and potential as well as in its dealing with its own current loneliness that was once ‘full of people.”

Let me suggest then, that we begin to alter our sports mentality a bit. Instead of cheering for the same team year after year, what if those of us who call ourselves Christians, who tend to advertise our solidarity with the poor and downtrodden, what if we drove a stake in the ground and said, ‘we’re going to be sports fans, but we’re not going to cheer for teams, rather we’re going to cheer for cities instead!” What this means is that we will cheer and hope that the Saints continue to go undefeated, win the Super Bowl, and in doing so, rebuild a city that once ‘was full of people.’ Think of how we could also tie our love for sports with advocacy for the oppressed and poor.

Instead of cheering for the Yankees, we will build a campaign to rebuild Detroit through rallying behind the Tigers, the Pistons, or Lions. Instead of joining the Tar Heel Nation or the Duke University Cameron Crazies, we will walk in solidarity with the unemployed and high illiteracy neighborhoods in Memphis. Instead of cheering on the Lakers or Celtics to win another championship, what would it look like to get behind the citizens of New Orleans in full force and say that we will cheer for the Saints, not because we’re fair-weather fans, but because the City is bigger than sports and we’d do well to remember the benefits the vendor, parking attendant, and concession worker, walking past their broken down neighborhoods on their way to their minimum wage job, receive when their team is the best in the NFL.

Let’s try this. Let’s throw out our list of favorite teams (fat chance I know) and start creating a list of Cities that need a fan base, that need advocacy, hope, and a good old fashioned pep rally. Then, let’s begin to create a movement that seeks the ‘welfare of cities’ more so than the wins of certain teams. When someone asks, ‘why are you wearing that Saints shirt?” You can simply reply, “Because it reminds of me of the people who still need a helping hand, who used to sleep in the same Superdome, where the Saints blew out the Patriots.” I bet the response you get will be different than, ‘oh, that team’s no good.’

You may even wear a Detroit Tigers baseball cap and be approached by an arrogant Yankee fan who says, ‘how’s your team doing?’ You can then reply, “Given the fact that Detroit has the highest unemployment rate in the United States and has suffered in ways most cities only have nightmares about, we’re hoping to make the playoffs. Thanks for asking.”

After a few seasons of cheering on cities who need us, maybe people will get the point that we’ve put sports in its proper place, that is in a community of people who understand the difference between life and death; games and work. So, this year, I am a New Orleans Saints fan and as they play Washington, Atlanta, Dallas, Tampa Bay, and Carolina to finish this season, no offense to any other fan base, I simply hope New Orleans wins every single time and their city recovers and we will all share in something bigger than ourselves.

Mike Foster: Why I Don't Believe In Accountability Part 2

Guest Voices — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:35:58 -0700

Mike Foster is the co-author of “Deadly Viper Character Assassins” and blogs at www.DeadlyViper.org You can follow his thoughts on life and leadership at Twitter.com/mikefoster

WHY I DON’T BELIEVE IN CHRISTIAN ACCOUNTABILITY! PART 2

I truly believe it is time to reinvent and rethink this very important component of our lives. Over the years, Christian accountability has deformed into a very ugly, uninspiring, and broken system.

First off, I want to change the word from “accountability” to “advocacy.” If we are going to redefine a process and introduce a new concept, I think it needs a new word. The word I use in this context with fellow friends and leaders is advocacy. The term can be described as active support, intercession, or pleading and arguing in favor of someone.

So let’s take a look at what advocacy means.

Radical Grace Is The Foundation:
Radical grace is the core engine for any healthy relationship. You can not have true transparency or confession without it. I encourage people to make verbal commitments to each other and clearly state that they will stand by one another through the best AND the worst.

Most people live with the fear of rejection and allow this fear to dictate how honest they will be with others. In advocacy, we are constantly demonstrating that this relationship is a safe place. Through our response to one another’s failures, our own deep confession, and reminding each other that we are in this for the long haul, we implement radical grace.

Focus on the Yes, not the No:
Advocacy focuses on the “yes,” not the “no.” Too often typical Christian accountability revolves around long lists of what NOT to do. We spend way too much time discussing and managing the sin. Often we lock onto the most minor unhealthy behaviors and think that’s going to prepare us for success in life. Unfortunately we operate on the faulty assumption that working on the symptoms will address the core problem. Bad idea!!!

Advocacy spurs us on to the “yes.” It revolves around the crazy good things that we should be engaging in. It pushes us to live a life of positive risks, creativity, adventure, and significance. We rally around each other in this and focus our relationships around this theme.

I truly believe a large amount of moral blowouts flow from boredom and dissatisfaction. We become depressed and unsatisfied with our life, career, and marriage and then we enter into dangerous territory. Why? Because we are not focusing on the “Yes!”

I know that in my own life I become vulnerable when I have lost a sense of mission and purpose. Having an advocate in our life is important in reminding us of our calling.

Priority on People, Not Organizations
When people fail or become involved in some scandal, too often we immediately consider the ramifications on the organization or company. I’ve talked to many Christians who are very concerned about when a pastor falls of how this impacts the cause of Christ.

Unfortunately, we place more concern on the damage to the brand of Christianity or the church instead of the fallen individual. I’ve seen horrific and hurtful things happen to people in the name of protecting the organization instead of the fallen person. Quite frankly, that sucks!!!

If you haven’t figured it out by now, Christianity’s brand is failures and wrecked lives. Churches are places with messy people who do stupid things. I’ve certainly made my contribution to this effort with my mistakes.
In advocacy the importance is placed on the individual. It is about people, especially those who are most broken. The organization, church or company should take a back seat.

Multi Group Approach
Christian accountability often is accomplished in small groups that are too general or with just one person that puts too much responsibility on one individual.

Advocacy embraces having multiple layers of transparency and connection. I have about 10 people who are involved in spurring me on to a life of integrity. They can actively speak into my life and I would listen and make the necessary tweaks.

However, I have about 4 people who I have a deeper connection with and discuss harder things. I also have more structure with this group. This is what I consider to be the core.
But even beyond the core, I have one friend that has full access. We take complete responsibility for each others integrity, purity, and sustainability. I refer to this person as my “first call.” When the crap hits the fan, I call him first.

Each layer moves into a greater level of commitment and advocacy and each layer has an important role.

The Soul of the Matter: Cutting Global AIDS Funding

jodie howerton — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:52:44 -0700

There is no doubt that America has fallen on hard times. Unemployment rates are high, stock values have plummeted, and Americans are frequenting food banks in numbers we haven't seen since the Great Depression.

People are spending less, beginning to save more, and shifting their priorities. Buying and fueling that SUV has slipped to the bottom of the what- we- need- to- survive- list. And, while we feel the strain of the economic crisis here in the US, poor countries have become even poorer. Our inconveniences today barely hold a candle to the ongoing crises in developing countries.

So, I'm concerned that President Obama (Yes, I'm once again asking you to e-mail him) is proposing significant cuts to global AIDS funding. Now is not the time to deny aid to people who need it the most. One AIDS outreach program in South Africa called Living Hope that partners with my church, will be forced to cut it's clinic's availability to children if the budget cuts go through. Living Hope, and many programs like it are recipients of PEPFAR Grants (President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief). PEPFAR is credited with reducing the number of deaths from AIDS around the world by 10%.

In an eloquent article in the New York Times, Bono, co-founder of The One Campaign, sheds some light on why this is asoul issue...

Join me in praying for and advocating for the most vulnerable populations on earth.

An update: A month ago, I posted a blog about a new book entitled "Dead Aid."

I just found a new article that critiques the book, calling it "distastrously irresponsible" and arguing that Africa needs global aid more than ever. You can read that article here.