Backyard Abolitionists – you – Drive The Not For Sale Campaign
Open Source Activism
The major obstacle that we face in the fight against modern day slavery is that the crime is hidden. Individuals that work in the field know that slavery is not part of the current collective consciousness. Initially, it shocks the general public to learn that slavery still exists and is wide spread. It is even more shocking for them to realize that it may exist in their own backyards.
We need to shift to a paradigm that recognizes the possibility of slavery in order to be able to identify it. When the paradigm shifts, a new wave of activists will respond in creative ways. That being the case, the pioneer generation of activists against human trafficking must re-evaluate how we communicate the issue to our networks.
Communication with young people brings to light that the new abolitionists can be very sophisticated. Youths are using their own expertise in creative ways to raise awareness and fight slavery, which in turn inspires their peers to do the same. Their initiatives tend to be organic to their peers’ passion, skills, and purpose in life.
For example, Pattie, an artist who lives in Atlanta, GA, recently hosted a house party to inform her friends about modern-day slavery. She showed a movie, served wine and cheese, produced a painting for the party, and delivered a power point presentation featuring her city’s Modern-day slavery statistics. She even had the guests paint their hands on her wall, declaring that they are now involved, identifying with those whose identities have been stolen.
‘Orange’ awareness events, soccer tournaments, class presentations, mapping slavery projects, benefit concerts, video productions, are among the activities that colleges, high schools, companies, churches, artists, and individuals organize to shift the paradigm that slavery does not exist toward a paradigm of awareness.
We cannot act solo if we want to make an impact; to be part of a network of activists generates social power. The pioneer generation needs to enable people’s natural connection toward collaboration, exchanging ideas, learning from one another, and learning to trust one another in new and different ways.
The greatest of challenges demand the boldest and most creative initiatives. Ending slavery in our lifetime depends on open source activism. We cannot control it, only enable it. Our own inputs and energies transform the path of the campaign. We can’t predict the path that we are going to follow, but because modern-day slavery is touching the deepest places of conscience, we are uniting to end it.
A new generation of abolitionists has been seeded.
Around the world people have taken notice: the breath of freedom is uniting people. No longer can we stand by as 27 million people are enslaved.
It is no longer enough to think about change.
It is no longer enough to talk about change.
It is time to shift gears; marrying movement with intelligent action.
Our collective challenge is simple, stand with those who are enslaved, work together to free them, and empower them in their freedom to break the cycle of vulnerability.
What we are combating is wide-ranging, deeply embedded, and largely invisible (how else could it exist in our own backyards?). A holistic, all-encompassing response is in order. Igniting and aiding this comprehensive response is the Not For Sale Campaign’s purpose.
The Not For Sale Campaign bridges knowledge to action.
With your help, we are working to raise awareness and collective understanding about human trafficking. But we live in a time and place where people are restless “to do something”. In recognition of this desire to act we will be completing and distributing handbooks for action. What can your athletics team do? What can your university do? What can your community of faith do? What can your business do? What can you do as a musician?
In 2008 and beyond we will be providing new ideas and proven constructs for action.
Without a doubt, the wall standing against slavery today consists of backyard abolitionists, people like yourself, who are willing to build the bridge to freedom.
From David Batstone: how did this thing start?
I read in a local paper that one of my favorite Indian restaurants in the Bay Area had been trafficking women from India to wash dishes, cook meals and other tasks. The story came out when a young woman, Chianti Pratipatta died of a gas leak in an unventilated apartment owned by the proprietor of the restaurant, who forced Chianti and others into slavery under threat of reporting their illegal presence to the authorities.
This was happening in my country at a restaurant I frequented. My shock turned into a consuming passion that took me around the world to learn more about how slavery flourishes in the shadows.
I also learned about the solutions. I met heroes. Modern-day abolitionists fighting trafficking and slavery on the front lines. And I knew I had to do something. The Not for Sale Campaign combines technology, intellectual capital, abolitionist groups and a growing network of individuals like yourself – joined together to end slavery in our lifetime.
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-David Batstone, President
-Enrique Bazan, Executive Director
-Mark Wexler, Managing Director
REPORTS
‘Not for Sale Fund’ is a California Non-Profit Corporation organized in accordance with Internal Revenue Code Section 501( c)(3). Not For Sale Campaign is a program of ‘Not for Sale Fund’
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