BE STRONG
Stories of injustice are no longer a surprise to me; however, they never cease to make me angry. Recognizing there are more people being bought and sold at this moment, than in the entire 300 year history of the Atlantic slave trade ought to incense anyone. Yet, my frustration only increases when I put a face to these slaves and recognize they do not exist solely on the other side of our globe. Many of these modern day slaves consist of young girls caged by invisible chains, surviving blocks from where you and I live, go to work, and attend church. Each time I look into the eyes of another young victim or hear another tragic story of coercion and slavery I am reminded why we must continue to fight for justice!
Nonetheless, I stand in awe surveying this growing movement of modern day abolitionists who continue crying, “Not in our Backyard”. God’s heart beats for justice and scores of you reading these words have displayed the heart of Jesus in your passion to eradicate child sex slavery. You resonate with the Psalmist’s words – “…He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious to him.” (Psalm 72:14). May we never lose sight of how precious each of these victims are! May we continue to find the strength of the Lord in this struggle for justice!
…Be Strong!
Say not, “The days are evil. Who’s to blame?”
And fold the hands and acquiesce – oh shame!
Stand up, speak out, and bravely, in God’s name.
Be Strong!
It matters not how deep entrenched the wrong,
How hard the battle goes, the day how long;
Faint not – fight on! Tomorrow comes the song.
-Be Strong by Maltbie Davenport Babcock
Pat,
Thanks for keeping all the posts on your blog. Today is my first day on your blog and I read every entry. They are all excellent! My daughter and I have met you on a few occasions on our abolitionist movement journey. It is always inspiring to hear you speak. This blog is wonderful because it gives us a chance to refer back to important points that you make that we may need to revisit as we continue on our journey to try to make a difference.
I liked your entry on what would the community look like if everyone participated as much as you do. My daughter created a website for her Girl Scout Gold Award project called, http://www.teensontrafficking.org On her website, she educates teens and adults about both sex trafficking and labor trafficking. This summer she found out from Change.org that Hershey’s chocolate may contain coco harvested by slave labor. Hershey’s refuses to show transparency on where they get their coco. My daughter not only asks people who visit her site, to not eat Hershey’s chocolate, she informs them to take the next step and write or call Hershey’s as well and let them know that we cannot partake in eating chocolate that comes from the backs of child slave labor. As a family, we have stopped eating their chocolate and are hoping that Hershey’s gets enough calls and enough drop in sales that they come around and do what is just to all of their employees right down to the person picking their coco beans.
Coffee is another area that has a high volume of slave labor practices. When buying coffee, I now look for brands that have a fair trade label or other information about fair labor practices. I pay a bit more for the coffee grounds, but when I relax and enjoy a cup of coffee, it is worth knowing I am NOT getting my joy from the tears and sweat of slaves.
Thanks Pat for all that you do in keeping the abolitionist movement moving!
Sincerely,
Gina
PS- My daughter has links to both Streetlight and Branded on her site as well as other wonderful organizations!